The age-old question has always been, is a child's behaviour based on genetics or environmental factors? That question won't be answered here by O'neal because he is only two years old. O'neal the Observer is a short story about a Black boy who is paying attention to his parents' interests, and also what they are disinterested in, even if they are unaware. Like most children at that age, they are trying to understand a new world, and sometimes what a guardian displays is what a child will receive, and one day mirror themselves.