It is the beginning of summer, so school is out. The boys start filling their pockets with stones, following Bobby Martin's example. Some of the other boys make a large pile of stones in the corner of the square. They are getting ready for the ritual stoning of one of the citizens. When the lottery gets started, the parents call their children so that each family is together for the drawing.
Some critics note that this community is patriarchal. This means that it is a society in which men occupy the powerful roles. Women are subjugated in the sense that they are victims of the lottery itself. But also note their primary role in this tradition of the lottery is to be mothers. They must continue having children so that the lottery can continue. The fact that the boys (not the girls) are the first to get stones ready is telling. It shows how they've been taught (brainwashed) to embrace this tradition of violence.
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