Miss Maudie attempts to explain to Scout that Boo's seclusion is a result of his father's strict religious beliefs. Boo did not choose to stay in the house; rather he was forced to by his father. She tries to convey to Scout that Boo was an innocent child who is more of a victim than a monster. Miss Maudie describes Mr. Radley as a "foot-washing Baptist" who believed that any sort of pleasure was a sin. Mr. Radley took the Bible literally, and his beliefs affected the lives his children in negative ways. Boo stays confined in his house because his father chose to keep in him locked inside. Maudie tells Scout that, "the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whiskey bottle in the hand of---oh, your father." (Lee 60) She tries to explain that a person's interpretations of the Bible can be harmful if taken to extreme measures. Maudie tells Scout that Boo was a friendly child when he was younger, but is probably crazy by now because he hasn't left the house.
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