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Why is it very important to Maniac Magee to have an address? How does the text show this?

Maniac Magee rarely felt at home.  His parents both perished in a tragic trolley car accident when he was three years old.  He was sent to live with his aunt and uncle, who had a strained marital relationship.  They did not speak to one another.  They did not share anything in their house.  After years of dealing with their behavior toward one another, Maniac snapped.  He could not stand it anymore, and he ran away.  He wound up in Two Mills, which was across the river from the home he had lived in with his parents.


In Two Mills, Maniac did not have a home at first.  He slept in "the deer shed at the Elmwood Park Zoo" until the Beale family invited him to stay with them.  It was at their house that Maniac first showed how much he valued having an address.  On the first night in their house, Maniac walked outside and "looked at the three cast-iron digits nailed to the door frame: seven two eight."  Maniac smiled happily because he "finally had an address."


Another example of when Maniac showed how much he valued having an address was when he and Grayson moved into the equipment room.  Maniac painted "one oh one Band Shell Boulevard" outside the door.  He did this to show that he and Grayson had an address for their new home.

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