LEAVE IT TO BEAVER often dealt with the fears and embarrassments of childhood - events which though small and trivial to an adult are magnified tenfold in a the mind of a child. In this episode Beaver, having lost a library book that was checked out under Ward's name, is terrorized by Eddie Haskell's wild stories of "library police" that will come around to arrest Ward if the fines are not paid. (I wonder if Jerry Seinfeld was taking notes from this episode? He had a bit on his TV show about a "library detective," if I recall.) Beaver pays a visit to the head librarian to satisfy himself that his father will not be thrown in jail. The librarian, Mr. Davenport, is a dry-as-dust bow-tie-clad academic type, outwardly a bit forbidding but ultimately approachable and, like most adults on LITB, very wise. He straightens Beaver out on a few points, including the necessity of going to one's father at the first sign of trouble, a point often reinforced in the series.
The point is emphasized again when Beaver visits Ward in his den to confess his wrongdoing. For me, this scene has sacramental resonance, with Ward as the "priest" and the den as the "confessional" (Jerry Mathers, good Catholic boy that he was, would have been familiar with the confession format.) Like God Himself, Ward knows what the penitent is going to say before he says it and is waiting patiently for him to arrive. There is nothing stern here, just a tender and understanding conference or therapy session, highlighting LITB's equitable and indeed progressive approach to parenting. Ward calmly explains to Beaver that telling lies is a dead end and that he should come to him at the first sign of trouble. It's a standard LITB lesson, but there is something special about the way it's delivered here with the wonderful chemistry between Hugh Beaumont and Jerry Mathers.