The depiction of the Appalachian people requiring the pity of outsiders is a reoccurring theme in Frost’s writing. He relates the need of a fresh air fund for city kids to a fresh idea fund for the Appalachian kids, showing sympathy for their isolation.  Frost rationalizes the condition of the Appalachian people, making sure to point out that simply calling them “behind the times” is harsh. He continues to do this by saying “that mere illiteracy is not fatal to character.” Frost identifies illiteracy as a problem seen by Appalachian outsiders and rationalizes it by making it seem like illiteracy is not a major problem. A problem with these depictions is that they support Frost in saying that the Appalachian people live in an “old feudal way.” This is a problem because it counters his earlier statements in saying that calling the Appalachian people “behind the times” is harsh. In the eyes of the reader, calling something “old and feudal” is the same as calling it “behind the times”. Harney depicts the Appalachian people as individualistic. Harney refers to the Appalachian people as living in “patient poverty”, demonstrating that they are comfortable living in their current conditions without outside help. This builds on a story told by Frost where no one in the mountains of Kentucky would confess their need for money to outsiders, showing that they were indeed “patient” with their poverty. This depiction is not as problematic because it identifies the Appalachian people as having “social codes and moral standards”, something outsiders can regularly miss because they are stuck on the peculiarity of life and the people of Appalachia.