How does the author address environmental issues in Chapters Six through Ten of the novel?

Environmental issues are an important part of this section. The reader is quickly informed about the way the Red Diamond Energy Corporation is destroying the environment for monetary gain through the character of Jimmy Lee Bayliss, who has scared an endangered species away from its home because the project could be endangered if someone were to find out that they are disturbing a panther’s natural habitat. In addition, Duane Jr. says that he wants to be an environmental scientist because he worries about man destroying the Everglades. He is “into animals and fishin ‘ and stuff” (119), and if the Everglades are gone, not only will it destroy the animal ecosystem, but also the life of people like him as he will have to live in a city and have a lifestyle he does not like.