One of 52 theoretical papers on school crime and its relation to poverty, this chapter contends that the Appalachian child has a set of values not yet understood by outsiders that influence behavior and lead to misbehavior that is not understood. Greater understanding of Appalachian values would assist observers in understanding that those disruptive acts are usually personal statements of protest and that they could be avoided by a proper respect for the individual's human dignity. Since the Appalachian child's need for belonging is met within the family and/or subculture, the child clings to the values of that culture with such tenacity that rejection by the greater society is sometimes ensured. Proper understanding of the value system could be helpful in assisting the child to function in both societies with less frustration. There is a need for a greater understanding, especially by teachers working with the ever-increasing number of "ghetto hillbillies," of the personal nature of the child's disruptive or criminal behavior if the teachers are ever to break from stereotyped views and ineffective solutions to respond to the needs of an individual child in a society within a society. (Author/MLF)