Because Malachy Sr. continues to drink away the dole money which the family recieves his sons including Micheal refuse to talk to him on the weekends because he is always drunk.
Frank has a friend Mickey who's siblings die frequently due to consumption. Mickey asks Frank and Billy Campbell to pray that Mickey’s sick sister will not die until September, so that Mickey can get a week off from school. Mickey promises them that if they pray for his sister he will invite both Frank and Billy to the funeral where there will be lots of food. Mickey's wish comes true and his sister dies in September however he doesnt invite Frank or Billy to the funeral. Angered by this Frank is pleases to find out that Mickey soon after dies because of consumption as well.
Frank's grandma convinces Frank to help Unlce Pat with delivering newspapers. However, Uncle Pat mistreats him by making him run about in the rain and paying him poorly. The fact that Frank has gotten a job greatly pleases Angela.
Angela has a baby and names it Alphonsus which is not a name that Frank likes. The baby almost dies by choking on a dry piece of milk however, Angela's neighboor friend Bridey saves the baby. Frank's grandpa sends money for the new baby. Angela sends Malachy Sr. to cash the check but tells Frank and Malachy Jr. to be sure Malachy Sr. actually cashes the check instead of spending it at the pub. Despite their tagging along, Malachy Sr. still ends up spending his money at the pub. Because of this Frank is forced to steal fish and chips for dinner.
Malachy's continued drinking problem has imposed many uneeded obstacles for the McCourt family. To think that if he hadnt spent all that money on drinking and getting drunk then the family would have much more money to spend on food and shoes and clothing. The fact that Frank is pleased when his friend Mickey dies is very disturbing... This does not seem to be the sweet boy earlier in the book... I hope this mean mailicious surface wears off and his real self begins to show later in the book.
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