How Matte, Luke and Kate's behavior changes in the story.?

Luke is the first member of the Morrison family to ever go to college. However, he has never been a good student and he seems only lukewarm about the idea of attending. In the end, Luke gives up teacher's college so that he can take custody of his siblings and allow Matt to go to university instead.

Luke is a strong and motivated young man who has a laid-back approach to life. This approach causes trouble between Luke and Matt when Matt becomes concerned about the lack of money in the household. A fight breaks out in which Luke accidentally dislocates Matt's shoulder. This accident results in a truce, ending the fight and allows the two brothers to avoid making further mistakes. Luke dedicates his life to raising Katie and Bo, ending up as a small business owner with no family of his own. However, Luke has lived his life his own way and is still young enough to have a family of his own when Bo comes of age.

Matt Morrison is seventeen when his parents were killed in a car accident, and he was hit hard by their deaths. In the months after the funeral, Matt finds himself content in the idea that he and his siblings will be separated. When the local teacher comes and asks that Matt be allowed to continue his studies because of the intelligence he has shown in his schoolwork up to this point, Matt learns of the visit from Kate. When Matt becomes angry, it is believed that his anger stems from a desire to continue his education, and when Luke decides to skip teacher's college and take custody of his siblings, so that Matt can go to school, Matt becomes even more angry.

In time, Matt falls in love with the neighbor's daughter and causes her to become pregnant. This pregnancy and other events at the neighbor's house causes Matt to decide not to go to school. Katie spends many years regretting Matt's decision, allowing it to come between them. However, the reader is left with the impression that Matt was never really interested in going to school and he has become content in living a simple life on his farm.