From the classical Yiddish writer I. L. Peretz comes the story of a man and his encounters with a homeless little boy.

One day a man encounters a begging child on the street while volunteering at a soup kitchen. For a small amount of money, the boy can receive shelter and a modest amount of food. Concerned for the suffering boy, the man gives him the money. The boy, however, continues to reappear at the soup kitchen, causing much emotional and financial stress for the man. Though he can't reasonably afford to give the boy more money, the man continues to do so until one day, he decides to stop. A meditation on what it means to be a pious and charitable person, "The Poor Boy" is part of Peretz's classic short story collection, Stories and Pictures.