Although it was written over fifty years ago, Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, addresses many current issues, including the attitudes of society towards the mentally handicapped. Boo Radley, the only mentally disabled character in the novel, provides insight into mental illness and how it is perceived. 1930s attitudes and treatment of the mentally disabled, as shown in Maycomb's view of Boo Radley, were a central theme of To Kill a Mockingbird and demonstrate that society's view of mental illness hasn't changed much in the last fifty years. The novel is set in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. Maycomb is a small southern town located in an agricultural county. The people of Maycomb are very poor and have just been told “that they have nothing to fear except fear of themselves” (Lee 6). The same families intermarried, so many members of the Maycomb community looked similar. The mentally handicapped are represented in the book by the character Boo Radley. Boo Radley's real name is Arthur Radley. He was called Boo because he possessed ghostly qualities. Boo lives at home with her mother and father in Radley Place. Boo is probably the only mentally retarded person in Maycomb and the residents of the county perceive him differently. "A black man wouldn't walk past Radley Place at night, he would cross the sidewalk across the street and whistle as he walked." (Lee 11) Schoolchildren did not pick up pecans that fell on the Radley pecan tree because "Radley pecans would kill you." (Lee 11) There are early signs in the story that Boo is troubled. As a teenager, Boo joined a boy gang, got into trouble and was arrested. Instead of going to a public industrial school, Boo's father kept him at home, telling the judge that he...... middle of paper ... their family or a relative (Aberholden) . This leads people to think that the mentally ill are seen more as social misfits. Modern medications have done much to relieve the pain of the mentally ill (Leigh 20). Today, treatment is done more at home rather than confined in an asylum. The current goal of the mentally ill, through treatment, is to help people regain a better quality of life (Leigh 29). To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee's novel, touches on many topics that have been discussed today and over many years. Along with race, one of the most discussed issues in the novel now concerns the mentally disabled. Boo Radley, first known as the evil ghost of Maycomb, became the hero of Scout and Jem. Yet, in the 1930s, throughout the years, and even today, people have many different views and thoughts about the mentally handicapped..