Answer:
It seems the people are getting more upset with Steve and turning on him and others.
Step-by-step explanation:
I tried to read the excerpt from the story and it seemed as if the neighbors were getting more upset with Steve. They talked about how even his wife was talking bad about him. In quote, "Myra's talked about how there's been plenty of nights you spent hours down in your basement workin' on some kind of radio or something. Well, none of us have ever seen that radio—" This seems as if they are becoming more nervous and trusting Steve less. hopefully this helped you at least a little and I actually found the right book you were talking about. If it doesn't, please let me know and I'll try again.