Palmer tries to explain to Dorothy why he cannot tell people he does not want to be a wringer. What kinds of pressure does he feel? How does he think people will react?

Palmer tries to explain to Dorothy that every boy is a wringer and he has to be one, too. He cannot be the only boy in the history of the town to not be a wringer, he tells her. He also tells her that Beans would drag him out of bed and wring his neck. It is obvious he feels the pressure of what is expected of him and what he believes in being at odds, and trusts Dorothy enough to tell her about it.