At the end of the book, Maniac is invited to stay with the Beales, and the reader gets the sense that he will accept the invitation and find some stability there, at least for awhile. Indeed, Amanda Beale, with her usual amiable bossiness, gives him little choice. After staying for a time with a number of different people and in a variety of situations, Maniac has ended up alone, and is spending his nights in the buffalo pen at the zoo. Mars Bar comes to Maniac with an invitation from his mother, who has "heard about (him)...(and) wants to know...why (he doesn't) come to (their) house". Maniac is hesitant, however, knowing the trouble he might cause them, especially since he is white and they are black. He tells Mars Bar, "I can't...I didn't say I didn't want to. It's just...I don't know...things happen...I can't". Mars Bar goes to get Amanda, who never takes no for an answer. She comes to get Maniac, telling him in no uncertain terms that he "do(es) not have a choice". Unable to resist in the face if Amanda's determination, Maniac submits, knowing that what she is offering is "all that he had ever wanted. He (knows) that finally, truly, at long last, someone (is) calling him home" (Chapter 46).
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