Something I actually enjoyed about this set of chapters was that Jim protested Tom's unecessary plans and refused to do some of the stupid things Tom wanted him to do. Tom is a ridiculous child. Wanting Jim to carry a big chunk of millstone to carve words into because the wood wasn't sufficient enough (even though there's no logical purpose to be carving words into anything anyways); wanting Jim to plant a flower so he can water it with his tears (which is kind of sadistic and creepy, aside from being pointless). Jim and the boys could have been successfully long gone by now, but instead they are being held up by tom's foolish ideas. Go Jim for being smart enough to take some initiative! I am very confused as to why Tom makes things so difficult for himself and others. There is no benefit to it. A specific question - why does he write the letter to the Phelpses that basically ensures their failure at freeing Jim? Tom basically told the Phelpses that they were planning to steal Jim. Why? He has no logic. None. Also, why did he basically gve his actual plan away? That idea turned out fabulously when he was running away with a bullet in his leg because the Phelpses were armed, thanks to Tom's weird letter. A take away from this set of chapters, for me, was that sometimes, taking the easy way isn't always a bad idea, and it doesn't always mean that person is lazy. There is no need to make a bigger deal out of a situation/task when it can be so much simpler. I say that mostly because I'm gifted at making siple tasks seem complicated.