,,, and has a better friend in Wally than he deserves.
Eddie Haskell decides to quit school and go to work. Wally and his friends keep going on about how they can't believe he did it, but part of that is just parroting their parents. Because when Eddie comes around to clean out his locker and talk about his new job at Thomsons' garage making 80 dollars a week, and he talks about all of the free time and money he has, they do seem impressed and a bit jealous. By the way, 80 dollars in 1962 is about 850 dollars in 2024.
Wally's parents are of course nervous about Eddie boasting about his money and freedom. They are afraid that dropping out of school may be contagious. But things are not all sunshine and roses in Eddie's new life. He's not adept at mechanics or even common sense, and Mr. Thomson is not exactly an understanding boss. And Eddie soon learns that when he has time off to spend with friends, his old school chums are either in school or busy with extracurricular activities. When they are off, mainly Saturdays, Eddie is working.
Wally can see Eddie's unhappiness and needs to find a way to get Eddie to come back to school without it looking like he came crawling back, because he knows that is something Eddie Haskell would never do. That Wally would take the time to do this makes him a saint in my book. How will Wally do it? Watch and find out.
The one thing that is odd here is that Ward, usually so generous with the helpful advice, is rather mum. When Wally talks about the perks Eddie has as a working man, Ward just says he thinks it's better for kids to stay in school. But he never says why. He could start with the fact that even if Eddie was good at his job, in 10 years he'll still be right where he is while somebody who sticks with their education and graduates from college will soon far surpass Eddie in salary and opportunities. Instead, everybody talks like Eddie leaving school has to do with his lack of athletic prowess. Anybody who's ever watched Married With Children can see how far high school athletic prowess got Al Bundy.