Boo Radley is a mysterious character. We know that he is a neighbor of the Finches; we know that he seldom comes out of doors; we know that people think there is something "not right" about him. Miss Stephanie tells the children about the a story that Boo once stabbed his father with a pair of scissors. Another rumor was that rather than send Boo to an insane asylum, the Radleys kept him locked up in his own house.
As the story progresses, we learn other things about Boo. Boo is the one who leaves presents for the children in the knothole. On the night of the fire at Miss Maudie's house, Boo is the one who puts a blanket around Scout's shoulders to keep her from shivering. And of course Boo is the one who ultimately saves Scout from Burris Ewell.
It's not clear what is different about Boo, but the book shows him to be a kind and courageous person.
Towards the beginning of the novel, Jem and the other children believe the many unfounded rumors about Boo Radley, which portray him as a malevolent, nefarious individual. Many of these rumors are spread by the neighborhood scold, Miss Stephanie Crawford. In Chapter 5, Scout asks Miss Maudie some questions about Boo Radley, and the reader gains insight into the reclusive life of Boo. The reader learns that Boo's real name is Arthur and that he is still alive. The reader also learns that Boo was a polite child and his father was a strictly religious man. Miss Maudie tells Scout that Boo's father was a "foot-washing" Baptist who believed that any type of pleasure was considered a sin. As the novel progresses, the reader learns that Boo is a compassionate, sympathetic individual who cares about the Finch children.
Boo Radley was primarily known to those in Maycomb by the rumors about him. Miss Stephanie Crawford was notorious for spreading sensational rumors about Boo. Miss Stephanie told the children the story about Boo Radley and the scissors:
Boo was sitting in the livingroom cutting some items from The Maycomb Tribune to paste in his scrapbook. His father entered the room. As Mr. Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent's leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities (To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 1).
Stories like these created fear in the minds of Scout, Jem, Dill, and other Maycomb children. There were few people who offered any real information about Boo Radley. Atticus was sensible about Boo, but he preferred not to talk about the Radley family. Scout asked Miss Maudie for information, and she shared what she knew. Scout asked if Boo were still alive, and Miss Maudie told her that yes, he was. She also informed Scout that Boo's real name was Arthur. Boo stayed in the house all the time, but Miss Maudie recalled him as a young boy.
Later in the novel, it was revealed that Boo Radley was kind. He mended Jem's pants and covered Scout with a blanket on a cold night. He even rescued the children from Bob Ewell.
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