Scout and Jem are vulnerable because they are young, innocent children thrust into an adult world. Because their father takes a case to defend a black man's word against that of a white man's, the whole town gets involved in verbal warfare against the Finches and there's nothing the children can do about it. As a result, Scout and Jem are vulnerable to social, political, and physical attacks.
First, the children are vulnerable socially as neighbors and schoolmates verbally attack their father in public. Cecil Jacobs starts it in chapter 9 when he declares on the playground that Scout's father "defends ni****s" (75). Then, her second-cousin, Francis, tells her that her father is a "ni****-lover" soon thereafter (83). Mrs. Dubose, a neighbor, does the absolute worst by calling Atticus and the children disgraces to the Finch name. Plus, she adds the N-word in almost everything she says about Atticus, too. Atticus simply tells his children to ignore people and hold their heads high as they face such persecution. In fact, Atticus gives Scout the following advice when she tells him people are calling him a "ni****-lover":
". . . baby, it's never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it doesn't hurt you. So don't let Mrs. Dubose get you down" (108).
What Scout would like to do is beat up everyone who insults her or her family, but Atticus forbids it.
Next, the children are vulnerable politically because they have no power over the culture to which they were born. They can't control the segregation and prejudices in their town; but, they are forced to deal with it all anyway. For example, they wake up one morning to see a political cartoon about their father in the Montgomery Advertiser. Scout explains it as follows:
"It showed Atticus barefooted and in short pants, chained to a desk: he was diligently writing on a slate while some frivolous-looking girls yelled, 'Yoo-hoo!' at him" (116).
As much as Jem tries to say that the cartoon is a compliment to Atticus and his honorable ways, it still represents an attitude that many in Alabama had at the time against anyone standing up for black folks. Again, the children are vulnerable here because they cannot defend themselves or their father politically, and they can't fight back.
Finally, the point at which the children are the most vulnerable is when they are attacked by Bob Ewell in chapter 28. Bob Ewell attacks them for the work their father did in the Tom Robinson case. More specifically, Atticus proved Ewell is a liar and a loser during the trial; so, naturally, Ewell wants revenge. Atticus never thought Ewell would stoop so low to attempt to kill his children, so he didn't worry about the threats. Unfortunately, Ewell does stoop that low and the children are forced to defend themselves on Halloween night while walking home from the school. If Boo Radley had not stepped in to help the children, they probably would have been hurt or killed. Here again, Scout and Jem couldn't defend themselves against a grown man and a kitchen knife; therefore, they were completely vulnerable physically.
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