Outside the classroom, Ichabod survives by staying with different farm families, making himself useful with chores, gossip, and music lessons. He thrives on attention, especially from the local women, and builds his reputation as a “learned” man by reading spooky books and soaking up every ghost story he can find. The more he feeds on superstition, the more the valley’s eerie atmosphere gets into his head, turning every night walk into a haunted adventure.