During the trial, Mayella was reluctant to answer some questions that Atticus interrogated with her because Mayella thought Atticus was making fun of her by calling her “ma’am” and saying “Miss Mayella” (Lee 243). Because Mayella took offense to Atticus’s courtesy, Scout presumed that nobody had ever called Mayella “ma’am,” or “Miss Mayella” in her life (Lee 244). Mayella was nineteen at that the time of the trial; she was the eldest. Mayella could not recall how long her mother has been dead. When Atticus asked Mayella how long she went to school for, Mayella replied, “two year-three year-dunno” (Lee 244). From the trial, Scout learned that the Ewell’s relief check was not enough to feed family, and Robert Ewell most likely used the relief