Old Man Warner criticized people who were willing to give up the lottery as stupid idiots or uppity young people who were not satisfied with anything. He claimed that such people would be content to quit work and move to caves. Then he repeated an old folk expression about a good corn crop following the June lottery and claimed that without it the villagers would end up living on weeds and nuts. Finally, he maintained that the lottery had been a tradition forever. He even criticized Mr. Summers as a youngster, faulting him for not being serious enough about the lottery (263–64).
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