Wright vs. Uncle Tom

Wright and uncle Tom first start out the feud with Tom waking up Richard and asking him what time it was.  Richard responded with the time twice, but Tom insisted that it was the wrong time and got mad at him for his "sass," and said he was going to beat him.  Richard got made at him because he knew that he had done nothing wrong, and that Tom was acting out on a grudge that he had against him.  At this point, Richard is not afraid to stand up for himself against being beaten for unfair reasons because it is a part of his daily life.  In order to show that he wasn't going to take crap from Tom, he can out with razor blades in his hands so that Tom could not beat him. It obviously worked.  Richard noes how to stand up for himself now against things that he does not feel he deserves to be punished for.  This type of rejection of authority is why most adults can't stand him.