This is what led Russ to break off from Bone, because Russ knew that he was no longer the leader of the friendship, and therefore needed to start anew with someone else. .
Bone handles himself very well on a series of adventures, and for the first time in his life, finds someone that has grown to be dependent on him as he has with his friends and drugs, Rose, the girl he saves from the pedophile. Together with Bone, and I-Man, the three form a sort of symbiotic relationship, each contributing in their own way. It should be noted that he is almost always calling himself "Bone" now, as it is the name that represents his independence. .
The time Bone spends with I-Man in the school bus is very important. It is here that he realizes that he is capable of doing things on his own, and yet he always has a friend whom he can talk to, while not be dependent on. Banks makes the point here that it was essential for Bone's development that he have such a relationship, so that he could learn what an independent person must do by asking questions from I-Man, who has been independent most of his life. There is one other very important occurrence which happens at this stage of the story is the change in Bone's attitude towards drugs, especially marijuana. During his time at home and with Russ, Bone was very greedy about the drug and would take as much of it as he could. But once he goes to live with I-Man and is growing his own, Bone loses this quality and is able to smoke only at certain times during the day. He does not need the drug all the time and has progressed to only using it to relax. The addict-like need that h!.
e had previously seemed to die with his friendship to Russ. .
Bone is truly independent once he adapts to life in Jamaica. He does what he wants to do and is able to go directly against what people like his father tell him to do. But there is a reason that he goes against these people, and that is because he realizes just how much independence he actually has.