Scout and Jem are convinced that Boo Radley will kill them if he gets a chance. Boo is the neighborhood boogeyman, so there are all kinds of fantastic stories told about him. The children don’t eat the pecans from the Radley trees and are afraid to cross in front of the house.
According to Jem, Boo is six-and-a-half feet tall and dines on raw animals, so his hands are stained with blood constantly. Miss Stephanie Crawford claims that he peeps in windows at night. The children believe he is deadly.
When Dill wants to make Boo Radley come out, Jem is against the idea for being very dangerous.
“I hope you’ve got it through your head that he’ll kill us each and every one, Dill Harris,” said Jem, when we joined him. “Don’t blame me when he gouges your eyes out. You started it, remember.” (Ch. 1, p. 15)
The children decide to send Jem in (though he doesn’t want to go, because Scout will be left alone when he is dead), and then Dill and Scout will jump Boo and pin him down when he comes out after Jem. They will explain that they mean Boo no harm, and just want to talk to him.
Jem also gets upset later when Scout is chewing gum found from one of the Radley trees.
I spat it out. The tang was fading, anyway. “I’ve been chewin‘ it all afternoon and I ain’t dead yet, not even sick.”
Jem stamped his foot. “Don’t you know you’re not supposed to even touch the trees over there? You’ll get killed if you do!” (Ch. 4, p. 45)
As the saga continues, the children learn that Boo Radley is not deadly after all. Actually, he is a friend. He is such a good friend that not only does he not try to kill them, he saves their lives when someone does.
Note: Page numbers vary, but I included chapter and page numbers so you can find them in your book. These are from the mass market paperback.
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