Boo has obviously been keeping a watchful eye on Jem and Scout in the Harper Lee novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, but he apparently has no intentions to leave the security of his home for any length of time. As Maycomb gossip has always suggested, Boo does come out at night, but probably not to "find any cats and squirrels to eat." He is the protector of the Finch children; he communicates through the knothole, mends Jem's pants, and warms Scout with a blanket. Then, on the fateful Halloween night, he saves them from Bob Ewell and then carries Jem to the safety of the Finch house. While there, he remains hidden in the corner, until
... our neighbor's image blurred with my sudden tears.
"Hey, Boo," I said.
Although Boo does not invite Scout inside the Radley Place,
... He was still holding my hand and he gave no sign of letting me go.
"Will you take me home?"
He almost whispered it, in the voice of a child afraid of the dark.
I put my foot on the top step and stopped. I would lead him through our house, but I would never lead him home.
But, indeed, Scout does take Boo home, right up onto the porch and to the front door. There she stops, and Boo disappears inside his prison once again. Sadly, Boo does not become a playmate or even an occasional visitor to the Finch home.
... He gently released my hand, opened the door, went inside, and shut the door behind him. I never saw him again.
Boo's service to the Finch children was complete. He had befriended them in their youth and had come to their rescue when their lives were threatened. With Bob Ewell dead, Jem and Scout were safe once more, so Boo returned to his own fortress of solitude.
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