Lullabies for Little Criminals

Jules starts spending more time away from home, leaving Baby alone. Baby spends some of this alone time soaking up attention from their Russian landlady; Baby acknowledges the ridiculousness of “hanging out with an old woman, but that was the way it was. I’d started looking for adults to hang around with. They had more quality time for me and said sweet encouraging things and gave me gifts” (145).

Baby craves adult attention, and she starts hanging out with a twenty-year-old man named Peaches. One day, he sits beside her on the stairs and tells her to call him Benjamin, and she knows that he likes her. He has a cousin named Alphonse whom everyone considers cool and attractive. He’s a pimp and has a lot of money.

Baby meets Zoe, who is Baby’s age but tries to look a lot older. One day, she gets Baby to smoke a joint, and she loves how it makes her feel spontaneous, daring, and carefree.

When Jules is gone, Baby smokes a joint and puts on one of his suits. She goes outside and meets up with some neighborhood kids.