What does the attack on the Logans show about their characters vs. those of their attackers?

Previous chapters have foreshadowed retribution against the Logans for organizing the boycott of the Wallace store. Papa's comment, early in this chapter, that it is not time to be worried yet contributes to the building tension and expectation of a crisis. The attack on Papa by the Wallaces, however, does not release this tension entirely. Papa may be alive (and is clearly better off than the Wallaces' other victims, the Berrys) but there is no certainty that retribution is over. Therefore, this crisis is a minor one that increases the tension and conflict of the novel, rather than diffusing it. This attack shows the Logans to be brave and resilient while it shows the attackers, whites with all the power, to be cowardly and racist.