“Before and after his Latin school education, the preadolescent Ralph helped his mother provide for their boarders,” (field 39). The Emersons had to take in boarders to supplement their income, Ralph and his brothers helped their mother provide for the boarders and protected her as much as possible. “As boys and young men, the brothers performed household chores and ran errands to keep the house running. Relying on their own resources, they toiled together, doing all they could to ease their mother's burdens and improve their lives." (Field