Through the dialogue, the author shows that silence can be dangerous. This is shown through the reactions of the two characters when a police officer pulls them over. When Lance shows annoyance in front of the police officer, he says “Guess you never learned your manners.” (Shelby). This statement sounds like a silent threat, but because Ricky is in the same vehicle as Lance, even if Ricky was silent the whole time, the police officer did not continue his threats any further. The reason could be that the police officer doesn't want to involve a white person in the threats he's making. In…