Read the excerpt from The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street.
STEVE
(raising his voice)
There's something you can do, Charlie. You could go home and keep your mouth shut. You could quit strutting around like a self-appointed hanging judge and just climb into bed and forget it.
CHARLIE
You sound real anxious to have that happen, Steve. I think we better keep our eye on you too!
DON
(as if he were taking the bit in his teeth, takes a hesitant step to the front)
I think everything might as well come out now.
(he turns toward Steve.)
Your wife's done plenty of talking, Steve, about how odd you are!
CHARLIE
(picking this up, his eyes widening)
Go ahead, tell us what she's said.
58. LONG SHOT – STEVE 58.
As he walks toward them from across the street.
STEVE
Go ahead, what's my wife said? Let's get it all out. Let's pick out every idiosyncrasy of every single man, woman, and child on the street. And then we might as well set up some kind of a kangaroo court. How about a firing squad at dawn, Charlie, so we can get rid of all the suspects. Narrow them down. Make it easier for you.
DON
There's no need gettin' so upset, Steve. It's just that . . . well . . . Myra's talked about how there's been plenty of nights you spent hours down in your basement workin' on some kind of radio or something. Well, none of us have ever seen that radio—
How does Steve’s attempt to reason with his neighbors affect other elements of the story?
The neighbors calm down and go home for a while.
The neighbors become suspicious of him as well.
The neighbors elect Steve their leader.
The neighbors become a wild mob.
According to the excerpt from "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street," by Mark Kneece, the neighbors turn on one other, and the crowd will turn against Steve, assuming he is an alien in disguise. However, he is not afraid of challenging the group, although he becomes offended about the accusations being made against him.
