Chapter 27: One Christmas the children go to a tree lot, where at midnight, the tree lot owner will throw the leftover trees into the crowd. If the person who catches the tree can remain standing, he or she can keep the tree. Francie and Neeley are determined to catch a tree. The man throws the first tree, which is always the largest tree left on the lot. For a moment, the tree lot owner feels a twinge of guilt over throwing such a large tree to the children, but then he reasons that if he simply gives it to them, everyone will expect the same treatment. The man throws the tree, and the children do catch it. As the children are dragging the tree up the steps to their apartment, Katie's thoughts are filled with the hope that her children will be able to escape their parent's poverty. Katie understands that the best way for the children to escape their poverty is through education.
On Christmas Day, the family exchanges gifts. Katie makes a huge fuss over Neeley's gift, calling it the best gift she has ever received, and Francie is hurt that her mother paid little attention to the gift received from her daughter. Later, the children are able to attend a Christmas party for poor children. The organizers are giving away a doll to a little girl, whose name is Mary. Francie claims that her name is Mary, and she receives the doll. As she returns to her seat, other children call her a beggar. Francie feels guilty about the lie, but then discovers that her full name is Mary Francis Nolan.
Chapter 28: Francie becomes more aware of what people think about her father's drinking, and she realizes that her mother is not always right about everything. Francie is less able to be distracted from her hunger and the family's poverty. Francie thinks about becoming a playwright so that she can write plays about real situations and people.
Chapter 29: Johnny decides that the children should see the ocean and takes them fishing. Johnny and the children spend several hours in the boat and the children end up with sunburns. He feeds them a huge lunch, which makes them sick. Johnny was forced to buy some fish, since he did not catch any, but he buys rotten fish. When they arrive home, Katie is angry and tells Johnny that he is not fit to be a father.
