Basically, the boy is aware that the barber believes he is dumb, so he continues to choose the two quarters over the dollar bill in order to trick the barber into continuing to show other customers how 'dumb' the boy is. If he chooses the dollar, then the barber will stop handing him money since he would no longer appear dumb to the barber and the other customers. The boy is actually quite smart.
Musy01 t1_j69ctpa wrote
Reply to comment by Creative_Safety_5867 in A young boy enters a barber shop by Bjear
Basically, the boy is aware that the barber believes he is dumb, so he continues to choose the two quarters over the dollar bill in order to trick the barber into continuing to show other customers how 'dumb' the boy is. If he chooses the dollar, then the barber will stop handing him money since he would no longer appear dumb to the barber and the other customers. The boy is actually quite smart.