The Radley Place contains a malevolent phantom, according to local knowledge. No kids would eat pecans from the tree, no ball was ever retrieved from the yard.
There are many similarities to how kids and adults see the Radley place; both place much of their information on ignorance. I think, however, that much of the children’s' point of view is based on what children like to believe. They are ghost stories mixed in with adult fabrications and snippets of truth. The Children used the Radley place to fuel their imaginations and make play time that much more daring. Stories about Boo eating small animals and lurking about the neighbourhood at night became the stuff of myth in the children’s' minds. Adults are just as harsh on the Radley's but from a more self-righteous perspective. The Radley's are a constant topic of gossip and cautionary tales to be handed down for their children to turn them into something more bazar. Adults should, however, have known better. The draw of the Radley's as social pariahs made them feel a little better about themselves. I call this the "Jerry Springer Show" syndrome but I suppose it takes place, in some form, in all our communities.
