In Monster by Walter Dean Myers, what is the significance of the scene where the camera fade's into the interior of Cell Block D, Manhattan...

Following the Prologue of the novel, the first scene in Steve Harmon's screenplay fades into the interior of Cell Block D, which is located in the Manhattan Detention Center. The camera travels down the grimy corridors where the audience hears screaming and explicit language. The camera then focuses on the interior of a cell where Steve Harmon is sitting on his cot with his head in his hands. It is the day that Steve Harmon's...

Following the Prologue of the novel, the first scene in Steve Harmon's screenplay fades into the interior of Cell Block D, which is located in the Manhattan Detention Center. The camera travels down the grimy corridors where the audience hears screaming and explicit language. The camera then focuses on the interior of a cell where Steve Harmon is sitting on his cot with his head in his hands. It is the day that Steve Harmon's trial is beginning, and he is extremely worried. When Steve puts a blanket over his head, one of the inmates comments,

"Ain't no use putting the blanket over your head, man. You can't cut this out; this is reality. This is the real deal" (Myers 12).

The next scene shifts to Steve traveling in a van to the courthouse where his trial will take place. The opening scene of the screenplay is significant because it sets the stage for the rest of the story. The audience grasps the terrible situation Steve is in by viewing the environment inside the jail. The audience also witnesses Steve's anxiety about his upcoming trial, which will become the focus of the story.