Character Analysis
Reed helps bring home to Shaka how weird it is that lots of psychiatry patients are in prison instead of in psychiatric hospitals (due to budget cuts, the state of Michigan had had to shut down several mental hospitals).
Shaka shares his food with Reed for two weeks, and then Reed yells abuse at Shaka the first chance he gets. Reed seems to be an example of someone who should be getting treatment in a secure mental hospital…but is locked in prison instead.