John Singleton's film, Boyz N the Hood, shows the difficult upbringing of teenagers who have to live with harsh conditions not only at home but also in the surrounding city. The film compares the differences between Tre Styles' lifestyle and that of his friends, Darren and Ricky Baker. Darren and Ricky are half-brothers who look nothing alike. Singleton demonstrates the importance of male leadership in a Los Angeles ghetto home by comparing the difference between the lifestyles of Tre and his friends. While many teenagers in the area have close friendships, some form close relationships, forming gangs and creating a world of violence through alcohol abuse, which together ultimately breeds discrimination. The poverty conditions in which the residents of this community live are difficult due to the situation surrounding the violence and discrimination they face. Tre, Ricky's best friend, manages to survive the surrounding violence and discrimination thanks to his father's sensational leadership; he therefore knows what to do in the situations he finds himself facing among his friends. However, his friends are not so lucky. For example, Dough doesn't have much leadership or a father figure, but is raised by a single mother determined to make sure her children succeed; however, his main focus is Ricky because he has the most potential; he is a jock who has trouble in school, but gets All-American in football, trying to get a scholarship to USC. The mother's lack of leadership in Dough's struggle is what allows him to go in a negative direction. Dough chooses the path that forces him to succumb to alcohol and violence, but in his defense he maintains pride and honor. The alcohol sold on most street corners doesn't help Dough's situation, as Furious demonstrates to the teenagers in one scene while he talks to an old man. He says, “Why is there a gun store on almost every corner in this community?” The old man replies: "Why?" Furious continues: “I'll tell you why. For the same reason that almost every corner of the black community has a liquor store. Why? They want us to kill ourselves." Furious then declares that it is the corruption of the outside world that is causing this neighborhood to fall; this separates those who live in the neighborhood from those who live in predominantly Caucasian areas. As Furious describes, the viewer sees Dough, among others, a product of the corruption of alcohol and guns where he lives..