Decisive choices made during the adolescence stage of an individual's life may affect their fate. The non-fiction story, The Other Wes Moore told by Wes Moore himself is a gripping alternative narrative. This story is about two boys who share the same name; grew up in the same neighborhood; and had no father figure, yet they became very dissimilar. Both men dealt with a lot of choice in their lives however there was one distinct choice that made them unalike. Many things tied into their choices, two attributes were such as family and neighborhoods that affected them mainly growing up. These kinds of exposures are what led them to their decisions that changed their future lives. .
Family influence has a enormous affect on a child when he or she is growing up; therefore it is necessary for them to have a good and strong family influence. Wes (1)'s mother had always been strict with him, although his grandparents were even stricter with him. He says, " but soon realized that my grandparents' were many times worse. They made it very clear that Paulding Avenue was their home and all rules would apply" (42). From Wes (1)'s mother and grandparents being very strict with him at a young age, Wes learned good habits at an early and critical age. He also tells that when the streetlights would come on, he had to be home immediately; and before any type of play all chores had to be taken care of. This type of parenting with children helps them make better decisions, as they get older. The little things such as these can benefit them later on, as they mature and start to make choices for themselves. .
On the other hand, Wes (2)'s family influence was very different from that of the author Wes. One day Wes (2) decided to skip school with his friends and have a cookout at his house. Looking for change in his mother's closet, he searched for a jar where she usually kept it. However, Wes found something else, "As Wes rummaged through the closet he came a cross a small see-through bag packed with a green substance But Wes knew exactly what he had stumbled on.