There are two "mirrored" scenes in this chapter when Atticus is faced with a mob of men and one of his children defuses the situation. The first scene is at the beginning of the chapter, when Heck Tate and others come to the Finch home and stand outside. They are unhappy that Atticus is defending Tom Robinson at trial. The men disperse when Jem yells to his father that the phone is ringing.
Later, that night, Jem, Scout, and Dill go to find their father downtown after Jem gets a "feeling" something is wrong. They find Atticus sitting outside the jail, guarding Tom Robinson from an angry mob. This time, it is Scout's words to Mr. Cunningham that make the men scatter. She reminds him that she is friends with his son, Walter.
In both cases, the children humanize the situation and their father to the angry people around him. They can no longer function as a "blind mob" but instead must see the Finches as people, and as their neighbors.
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