“It was the midst of winter, when night, like an unwelcome guest, came too early and stayed too long, and when each day seemed smaller than the one before.”

This description presents a winter setting. By using a simile to compare night to an unwelcome guest, the narrator focuses on the shorter days and lengthier stretches of darkness that accompany winter. This aspect of the setting provides a somber tone, which foreshadows Winslow’s frail and sick nature when he arrives at Louie’s house. Furthermore, this description emphasizes the challenges Louie will face if he is to succeed in rehabilitating the donkey.

“Until this snowy Saturday morning in January, with the wind plastering the windows with wet flakes, when Louie had awakened feeling floaty, suspended in the air, with something different approaching.”

In addition to the dreary and cold winter weather, Louie has been sad without his older brother Gus who left a year ago to join the army. However, with the arrival of Winslow, the boy feels “different” and “floaty” as if excited and even uplifted by the prospect of caring for an animal. This feeling highlights Louie’s positive mindset and how it bolsters him in a difficult time.

“He’ll stay in the cellar. I can sleep there with him on the cot. Maybe we could have the heater on at night. We need to go to the feedstore and get some hay for him to sleep on and a bottle and some milk formula.”

Louie lays out his plan to care for the donkey. This list of actions is practical and demonstrates not only that Louie is logical in his thinking but also that he is ready to take responsibility.