He also calls her attempts to embrace her race as "superficial and hypocritical ".
On their first day of work in Linden Hills, Willie and Lester encounter the wedding of Winston Alcott. Winston is denying a fundamental part of who he is by marrying a woman. In spite of his hidden long term relationship with David, he is turning his back on it all because as Nedeed tells him, "it's the only way if a man wants to get somewhere in Linden Hills"." (Naylor 75).
As the boys perform work for Mr. Parker, who recently lost his wife, a scene plays out in his house as people come to pay their respects. This scene shows how far removed the residents are from their own culture. While discussing a possible housing project near Linden Hills, the unfavorable comments coming from everyone seem to represent a great deal of discrimination towards their own race. .
Referring to those that would potentially reside in these houses as "people like that and remedial cases and trouble makers,"(Naylor 133). Where there should be some sense of community and wanting to help those in their own culture achieve better for themselves, these residents are so far removed from any type of community or culture they instead refer to their own race as "dirty niggers and vow to keep them out of "their community," (Naylor 135). Nedeed even encourages the residents to align with the Wayne County Citizens Alliance which is full of "some of the most despicable racists on this side of the continent.""(Naylor 137) The entire motivation for aligning with them is purely financial. The residents are willing to sell their souls to the devil so to speak in order to maintain their financial and material gains. .
The farther they travel down the hill, the greater the display of wealth as evidenced by the increased size of the houses. On Fifth Crescent Drive, they encounter Reverend Hollis. Willie is familiar with the reverend and thinks fondly of him, as he went to the Christmas parties at the reverend's church as a child.