The Nedeeds chose only those who were hungry for materialism and status and would not offer any opposition. Ironically, in Linden Hills, moving up meant moving down. Status increased as you moved down the hill, with the most coveted residences being on Tupelo Drive, closest to Luther Nedeed. .
Lester and Willie begin their trip into Linden Hills at Lester's house where the reader meets Lester's mother, Mrs. Tilson and his sister Roxanne. Both of the ladies of the house give the impression that they are not content being on the outermost circle of Linden Hills and would like to move down the hill. Mrs. Tilson has an over the top propriety to her behavior and states "I was never one for keeping up with the Jones's but it's pretty embarrassing to have the worst house on the block and to just settle for that."(Naylor 51) Roxanne is determined to "marry well - or not at all (Naylor 53) and to achieve this she "had paid her dues to the Civil Rights Movement by wearing an afro for six months and enrolling in black history courses in college "(Naylor 53). She has also used "a decades worth of bleaching creams and hair relaxers (Naylor 53). Many of these behaviors deny their unique cultural characteristics, as though in order to make it in this coveted black community, it is necessary to deny what makes them unique and to appear less "black"". Even Roxanne's love interest Xavier, a successful black businessman, becomes frightened at the thought of falling in love with a black woman, calling it "one of the most terrifying experiences of his life (Naylor 97). He even seeks the advice of a coworker on the matter. In his review of Linden Hills, "African American Whiteness in Gloria Naylor's Linden Hills", Tim Engles describes Roxanne as "an avid social climber interested in marrying rich " who "actively whitens her natural appetites and those aspects of herself that are commonly associated with blackness ".