Question

"With no steady hand to guide him, the boy takes naturally to idle ways.

Caught in the street by the truant officer, or by the agents of the Children's Societies, peddling, perhaps, or begging, to help out the family resources, he runs the risk of being sent to a
reformatory, where contact with vicious boys older than himself soon develop the latent possibilities for evil that lie hidden in him.
The city has no Truant Home in which to keep him, and all efforts of the children's friends to enforce school attendance are paralyzed by this want. The risk of the reformatory is too great." - Jacob Riis
In a paragraph of 3-5
sentences, interpret the passage in your own words.

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

The passage describes a boy who lacks proper guidance and supervision, leading him to fall into idle and potentially harmful behaviors. Without a Truant Home to support him and keep him on the right path, he is at risk of being sent to a reformatory where he may be influenced by older, more negative influences. The absence of a stable support system for these at-risk children hinders efforts to ensure they receive the education and care they need to thrive.