He formed friendships.

He learned to navigate the city.

He earned money.

He visited parks, theaters, and other places.

He also became one of the museum’s main attractions.

That combination — guest, employee, friend, research subject, educator, and exhibit — is what makes the next part of his story so difficult to place inside a simple moral category.

The museum gave him security after years of isolation.

It also turned his identity into public entertainment.

Thousands Came To Watch Him Make The World He Had Lost

The museum quickly discovered that Ishi attracted crowds.