Chapter fifteen narrates a lot of bad news for Lyddie. First, Uncle Judah showing up in the first place throws Lyddie for a bit of a loop. He really has no reason to be there, so his news can't be good. That feeling is affirmed as Uncle Judah informs Lyddie of several things. First, Uncle Judah informs Lyddie that her mother has been sent to an asylum. That's bad news, but it isn't completely unexpected. Even in chapter one, readers could see that Lyddie's mother wasm't mentally stable enough to care for the family 100% of the time. The asylum is the lead-in to the other two pieces of bad news. Because Lyddie's mother is out of the picture, Rachel needs somebody to care for her. Uncle Judah brought Rachel with him, and he is leaving her in Lyddie's care. This is a big problem for Lyddie because Rachel isn't employed in the factory; therefore, she isn't allowed to live in the boarding house. Finally, the asylum costs money that neither Lyddie nor Uncle Judah has. Consequently, Lyddie's farm had to be sold.
First of all, Uncle Judah has Lyddie's mother committed to a mental asylum. The explanation given is that Lyddie's mother started to exhibit strange behavior after her husband left. Neither Uncle Judah nor his wife, Aunt Clarissa, are able to cope with the enormous demands placed upon them by Lyddie's mother's mental illness. So they feel they have no choice but to have her committed to the asylum at Brattleboro.
The second way that Uncle Judah turns Lyddie's life upside down is related to the first. The treatment that Lyddie's mother receives at the asylum costs money. As Uncle Judah and Aunt Clarissa are not exactly rich, Judah tells Lyddie he's going to have to sell the farm to pay for her mother's care. In addition, he can no longer take care of Lyddie's younger sister, Rachel, so he drops her off at the boardinghouse where Lyddie's staying.
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