"The drug dealer. That’s how they see him...'Drug dealer' is louder than 'suspected' ever will be." (Thomas 113)
When the vast majority of Williamson Prep is protesting "for Khalil", Starr, Hailey and other friends engage in a conversation. Hailey refers to Khalil as "the drug dealer" and expresses more naive and prejudiced opinions later. Starr is deeply annoyed and she reflects on how society blames people with crimes without knowing the predicament these people are in, who often goes into crimes without a choice.
Khalil's mother experiences substance abuse and his grandmother bears cancer and is fired, so he
is the only person in his household who could work. Nevertheless, his environment lacks working opportunities that can sustain his family. He is a teenager whose mind is still developing, Yet, because of stereotypes, the majority of society brands people of color as criminals without knowing all the facts. In Khalil's case, a drug dealer deserves to be criticized by society.
Starr tries to hide her relationship with Khalil because she yearns to avoid being associated with steoritypical black Americans. Yet, this causes her relationship with her friends to fracture because they have different opinions on Khalil's case while Starr has to hide her true thoughts. This worsens their relationship because of stereotypes on minority races and peripheral socio-economical backgrounds.
Disclaimer: People have varied opinions on the subject of The Hate U Give and the above statements are my current personal opinions which might or might not change later.