A Drowning Incident

The scene about the cricket foreshadows not only death but also how the puppies must of died. The innocent puppies must have died with a fight and struggled to get away from its killer just like the cricket. It states that the child "saw it and reached for it, but it sprang, bumping against the facing of the seat and falling to the floor again. He stepped on it quickly, then picked it up". Out of curiosity, he crushes the innocent insect. Once the child witnesses the death of the cricket, he begins losing or killing his innocence. Remember, curiosity killed the cat. Then, the child dumps the helpless cricket and feeds it to the the black widow just like the puppies were fed to the depths of the water.

The reason the child dumped the soggy wet dog next to the baby was because he was jealous. He was jealous that the child had his innocence and he wanted to take it away from him like it was taken away from him. He was furious that he had to witness the horrors of death. So, he took it out on the baby. He also wanted to revenge upon the person who told him that the puppies were taken to a new home.