Answer: They propel the plot of a story.
They take place between two characters in a story.
They happen when a character is at odds with society.
Sonny learns about the sun and the stars.
The way Joe Willow explains the change from day to night, is that when "daddy", in this case the sun, "goes to bed" (sets), "all the little children come out". The "little children" refer to the stars, they are coming out in the sky at night time.
The only thing between him and outer space ...
