What is the Home and who stays there? Why does Bud not want to go back there?

The Home in the novel Bud, Not Buddy is an orphanage in Flint, Michigan where Bud lives at the beginning of the story. The Home is filled with orphans, including Bud, who do not have anywhere else to stay. Bud mentions that he doesn't like the orphanage because it is getting too crowded and fears that some of the children might steal his personal possessions in his suitcase. The novel's setting is during the Great Depression which was a time when many families were experiencing financial difficulty. The orphan population rose because many families could not afford to raise their children which was one reason that the Home was becoming overcrowded in the novel. Bud laments about living at the Home and doesn't want to return because he is tired of being sent away to various foster homes. After a short stay with the Amoses, Bud decides to travel across Michigan to find his father.

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