Shiller shook his head and said, "Remember, if you see me outside of school, don't talk to me... Oh, right, anything going on with the Tail Gang? Can you make it to class on time tomorrow?"
Jason shook his head and replied, "Nothing important, apparently one of the big bosses from the Twelve Families wants to hire someone. You know, they rely on the children of Gotham to find people. The Tail Gang wants to get involved in this, we could benefit from it and get to know more people from the Big Mafia, which would help us in the long run..."
Shiller nodded and said, "Well, although I think you should approach your career choices with a more cautious perspective, if you feel it's your responsibility, then go ahead."
Jason rarely smiled but did now, saying, "Thank you, Professor, no one has ever said that to me before. They all think I was naturally inclined to join the mob..."
Shiller stood up and walked with Jason to the door, saying, "Many people in this world have no choice but to do things they don't like. They would never grow to love their jobs, but since the situation is already like this, you might as well think about what you could learn from this job you don't love."
"What could I learn?" Jason scratched his head and said, "What can be learned from being in the mob?"
Shiller patted Jason on the shoulder and said, "Every situation has something to teach, and you are in the appropriate environment to slowly find your way. Some people even pay tuition to learn these things."
Jason, not quite understanding, nodded his head and left the school.
He did not allow Shiller to walk him home, for if he did, the children of the entire street would know he was in contact with the Professor, damaging his reputation.
Attending school was not an issue because he could teach others the skills he learned. But mingling too closely with the upper class, gaining their favor, or being adopted by them, would make it impossible to remain King of Children.
All the children here knew that if you were adopted by the wealthy, you would be forever removed from this world, and absolutely not responsible for the children in the gang anymore. For any child king, that would be a deadly blow.
So, Jason couldn't let the children here know that he was close with a university professor. Otherwise, uncertainty would spread among his gang, fearing he might leave at any moment. Other gangs that were against him would also use this opportunity to spread rumors and tarnish his reputation.
The Tail Gang was the second largest Children's Gang on the street. Jason was not the original Boss, nor did he establish this gang. He was just brought in by older kids because he was born nearby, and gradually ascend to the Boss position.
Jason felt he had an unshakeable responsibility towards the children here, especially since he was taken care of by older kids when he was younger.
In Gotham, there are two ways for an orphan to grow up.
The first is to be adopted by someone in the adult mob. After being adopted, you have to follow in their footsteps and join the original mob.
Because the mob needs fresh blood, they also tend to support their members adopting children, which is why Selina said that as long as you can wait in a safe place to be found, you can survive.
The mob's way of raising children is very rough, relying mostly on the child's own physical condition. Education is hardly a factor. Once adopted, they are fed and when they grow up, they continue to be mob enforcers. Occasionally, a gifted few may rise up in rank, considered a stroke of luck by their adoptive parents.
The other way is to be picked up by older children in the Children's Gang, run errands for them, be self-reliant, and raise yourself.
The advantage here is that the older children of the Children's Gang are more attentive, especially the older girls who typically see the children they bring in as their own younger brothers and include them in everything. Jason was raised this way.
The atmosphere of the entire Children's Gang is very much like a big family, where brothers and sisters must take care of each other and help each other when in trouble.
However, growing up in the Children's Gang has a downside: you often don't know where your next meal is coming from.
Although those growing up in the adult mob tend to be poorly cared for and often left to rely on their own resistance when falling ill, at least they are guaranteed enough food.
The majority of stable mobs don't lack a meal. Larger, more organized mobs may even provide subsidies for their members with children, to prevent them from being too short or weak to become enforcers.
However, the Children's Gang doesn't have as many resources. Most of them have to run errands for the Big Mafia, and before the snowstorm, the income of most Children's Gangs was completely unstable. If they didn't make money one day, everyone would have to go hungry.
In simpler terms, being adopted by the mob results in a physically healthy growth but lacks education and social skills, often creating extreme personalities.
On the other hand, growing up in the Children's Gang leads to a comparatively rich spirit, better social skills, a more stable personality, more collective consciousness and cooperative wisdom. However, due to poor nutrition, they may not be as physically robust.
While many people may think that being strong is more important in Gotham, that's not exactly the case.