An expression I've become fond of as of late comes to mind: familiarity breeds contempt.

You wouldn't walk out of a barber shop without paying for a haircut, you wouldn't get a #2 at McDonald's without first ponying up and you can't get a tank of gas without paying. Hell, in my hometown they put a boot on your car if you have an unpaid ticket.

Paying your light bill late without being in the dark however long is a gift. They owe you no more electricity than what you've paid for. Rent is no different.

Assuming what D-Hop is saying is true he's still in the wrong. I don't know renter's rights in Pennsylvania, but 'switching banks' is a lame excuse for not paying the rent. I'd understand if he'd fallen down a well, but I bet if he needed a 20 spot to get a bag of Cheetoh's he could get his hands on it.

I'd bet this wasn't the first time he wasn't late.

Demetrius is the one responsible for keeping a roof over his family's head, not his uncle. If he found himself out on the street because A BILL WASN'T PAID, please go back and read the words in all caps.

I've been late with the rent before. Lucky me I had renter's rights and knew what they were. But it doesn't change the fact that I wasn't handling my responsibilities properly. For Hopkins to think that his uncle owed him an additional loyalty because of a blood relation shows that he holds contempt for his uncle on at least a subconscious level and that he will use that to shirk his responsibility. He should be angry with himself. Would they have been booted if the rent had been in on time? Not in this particular situation, at least.

It's time for the boy to grow into a man and stop blaming people for the things he does wrong.