This story revolves around a teenage black boy named Bigger Thomas, who lives in the ghetto's of Chicago.  He lives in a cramped one room apartment with a younger brother and sister, and a mother.  Bigger's mother is constantly pressuring him to take a job from the relief, a welfare-like organization.  He knows he needs this job but he seems reluctant to do anything his mother tells him to.  Bigger is portrayed as a generally angry person.  He is mad and jealous of the white people he sees.  He feels they have everything and he has nothing, and he wants some of what they have.  Bigger hangs out with, to his mothers disapproval, a motley gang of boys who are notorious for petty theft and other medial crimes.  Bigger is the undisputed leader of this gang, and he shows his temper often when he is shown up by any of the members of his crew.