In the poem "We Real Cool" by Gwendolyn Brooks, what important facts do we learn about the speaker or speakers?"We Real Cool" by Gwendolynn Brooks

I would think the most important facts concerning the
speaker or speakers of the poem (for we are never told if this is one voice or a
collective voice of a group) is the kind of lifestyle that the speaker leads. Note how
there are repeated references to the kind of activities the speaker engages in and the
kind of standing he or she has in society. It is a life that is not one of educational
achievement, to put it mildly, as the speaker says "We / Left school." The passtimes of
the speaker involve "lurking late," "striking straight" (presumably referring to the
speaker's prowess in pool), and "thinning gin." Although there is a confusing reference
to "Singing sin" we can infer that this means that the speaker is a n'er-do-well who is
not involved in society and just sits on the edge of it, only taking and not
contributing to it. Of course, the devastating result of all of these negative practices
becomes clear at the end of the
poem:

We

Die
soon.

Thus, when we think
about what we are told about the speaker of this poem, the focus is on the negative
practices he engages in.