Use the passage from Jacob Riis's How the Other Half Lives to answer the 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 this passage from Jacob Riis's How the Other Half Lives, the author discusses the consequences that a lack of guidance can have on young boys living in the city. Without someone to steer them in the right direction, these boys naturally engage in idle and potentially harmful activities. When caught by authorities or organizations like the Children's Societies, they may resort to peddling or begging in order to support their families. However, doing so puts them at risk of being sent to a reformatory, where they would come into contact with older, more delinquent boys. Riis suggests that this exposure can awaken the hidden potential for evil in these young boys. The absence of a dedicated Truant Home in the city further exacerbates the problem, as efforts to enforce school attendance are hindered. Thus, the risk of sending these boys to a reformatory is seen as too great.
