Chapter 6 is a pivotal chapter because two more of the main characters are presented--Becky Thatcher and Huckleberry Finn.
In spite of their differences, Tom and Huck are good friends and influence each other. Tom is a socially accepted member of society, and Huck is an outcast. Tom lives in a home with a good bed and regular meals and is loved by his Aunt Polly who oversees his physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. In contrast, Huck has no home; is forced to sleep in lofts or hogsheads or wherever he can find a place; must scrounge for his meals, sometimes going without; and has nothing but loose fitting ragged clothes to wear. His only relative, his father (Pap), is the town drunk who is as apt to beat Huck as not. Because of his "freedom"--he has no adult to answer to--Huck is despised and dreaded by the adult community and admired by the youngsters.
Whereas Tom's life is bound by society, by rules, and by acceptable behavior, Huck's life is one of freedom; he can come and go as he pleases. And unlike Tom, Huck's life is uncomplicated. He has no ambition and no desire to be civilized. He hates the idea of respectability and deplores the idea of going to school, wearing proper, tight fitting clothes and cramped shoes, and being forced to do things against his nature, such as giving up smoking and "cussing."
In spite of the differences, Tom envies Huck and Huck's freedom. Tom hates going to Sunday school, and he hates washing. He plays hooky from school, avoids doing chores (such as whitewashing a fence), and envies Huck's free and easy life. Although he seems to aspire to Huck's freedom from convention and rules, Tom is not willing--or able--to truly forgo his conditioning. For example, when Tom has to go into town, he makes up a reason to go alone because he doesn't want to be seen with the disreputable Huck. In this way, there is much of the hypocrite in Tom.
