For one thing, the children of Atticus Finch have provided Boo Radley in "To Kill a Mockingbird" with much vicarious excitement. Much like James Joyce's estranged boy in "Araby" who stands on the other side of a fence and watches wistfully as a girl he likes passes from day to day, Boo Radley must watch from the shadows as Scout and Jem enjoy a childhood he has never had. Yet, this viewing of lives on the outside is preferable to the isolated one he has suffered before Jem, Scout, and Dill come on the scene.
Then, too, their pranks--actions done on dares--allow Boo some normalcy as he can interact with the children by repairing the pants that Jem has left when they caught on the fence and by leaving little gifts in the tree hole. He is, thus, able to show love to someone.
Also, in their defenselessness against Bob Ewell, Boo Radley is given the opportunity to perform a great act of love by preventing Ewell from hurting them.
Afterwards, he and Scout interact and Boo is able to be outside his world and share in that of another and feel the warmth of Scout's little hand in his; she later has Boo hold his arm so that she can take it:
He had to stoop a little to accomodate me, but if Miss Stephanie Crawford was watching from her upstairs window, she would see Arthur Radley escorting me down the sidewalk, as any gentleman would do.
Scout does not lead Boo Radley home; instead, she gives him the chance to have pride.
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