In "Down at the Dinghy," Salinger's child characters prove once again the impact of a kid's innocence. Lionel's habit of running away is maybe an immature act, but Salinger writes it in a very profound way. Lionel flees situations where he feels insulted or hurt by the words of others. Running away from problems is a pretty logical response for a 4 year old to have in uncomfortable and/or confrontational situations, though maybe not to the extreme that Lionel exhibits. I guess he doesn't know that he puts his life in danger when he runs away. However, the example Boo Boo gives of him in February, when he hid "half-frozen to death" after 11 PM after a kid told him he stank, shows that he puts emotional security over his physical comfort. "You stink" is an easy insult to understand, which makes it harder for a small child to hear than something with deeper meanings and cultural complexities, like a racial slur. Lionel overhears Sandra call