In his childhood and early youth, how does Richard Wright react to the submission of other black Americans to white authority?

In his early years, Richard is quite naive and does not understand race relations in society. He attempts to understand by asking questions which fall on deaf ears. No one can really explain to him what is happening in society.
Richard learns to fear white authority figures because of what happens to other black Americans. For instance, when he runs away from the orphanage, a white police officer brings him back. Instead of trusting in his help, Richard fears the officer because he remembers a story about a young man who was beaten by a white officer. Thus, what he hears and what he does not understand combine in Richard's mind to create great fear and mistrust of whites.
As he grows older, Richard and his classmates continue to piece together what is happening in society and fall into a pattern of fighting each other. It becomes important to the boys to show how tough they are: "the first trial came not in books, but in how one's fellows took one, what value they placed upon one's willingness to fight." Showing their toughness among their circle of friends gives the boys some kind of control over their lives, which are governed by a racist society that dehumanizes them.
As Richard grows and begins working, he faces more racism from employers. The white woman who asked him "Do you steal?" is a perfect example of this attitude. Richard answers honestly "if I was a thief, I'd never tell anybody" and laughs off her ignorance. When reprimanded unfairly, he learns to play the game and remain silent rather than suffer the wrath of authority. He says, "I faced a wall in the woman's mind, a wall that she did not know was there."
Richard is not always able to contain his thoughts as he grows up and realizes the severity of the unfair society. He changes as he hears stories of brutality and unfairness. As he encounters more authority figures and asserts himself, the naive boy is gone.