Charity Case

The narrator recounts a life marked by involuntary sensory experiences, family distrust, and repeated accusations that lead to institutionalization and marginalization. As an adult he drifts among missions and skid rows, nursing schemes to secure money while convinced that unseen forces frame him for wrongdoing. A desperate attempt to reach into a collection box during a mission service traps his hand, turning a petty theft into a humiliating, prolonged exposure of vulnerability as the congregation continues unaware. The story blends memory, social observation, and darkly comic moments to examine isolation, stigma, and a fragile grip on reality.