The Fredley household.

The Fredleys have struggled somewhat since they moved to town. Only Marcie has had any income, although they were able to sell tomatoes from the vegie patch occasionally. It looked like being a long time before they would be ready to move. Marcie would buy occasional toys for her son, but it was only in his mid-teens that she felt they could afford to finish the walls of his room. And the plumbing is always broken.

Milo REALLY wants to go to college - those wants never roll away - so he has been trying to qualify for enough scholarships to make it possible. It was debatable whether he would be able to go. Here he is working on some scholarship skills:

At the end of Autumn, the Fredleys began to have some lucky breaks. Marcie received an expensive date gift, which she quickly sold. This meant they were comfortable enough financially, but nowhere near getting out of poverty. Then Marcie went to work, coming home with a long-awaited promotion bonus, and a marketing opportunity which netted her $20 000!

Suddenly they have the funds after all, and they are packed and ready for a new (better) home. Once they reach working class, Milo (as the only child) can attend college whether he has scholarships or not.