"I don't know," replied the Tin Woodman. "They just don't like it. They want to do what they want to do, and not what someone else wants them to do."
"Well, I guess we are all sort of like that." said Dorothy. "We're told what to do by our parents and by our teachers, and then when we leave school to go to work we have a boss telling us what to do. It does get a little tiring."
"Yes, but imagine what it would be like if no one ever told you what to do," said the Tin Woodman. "Would you help around the house without being asked? Or get up in the morning in time for school, and go to bed at a reasonable hour? Would you behave in school, and concentrate on learning all you could? And do your homework without putting up a fuss?"
"I might do all those things if given a chance, said Dorothy. "But grown-ups automatically assume that you have to be pushed and prodded all the time. They don't leave you alone. It's 'do this,' and 'do that," and 'why aren't you doing so and so?' It's just too much at times. Sometimes you feel like verbally lashing back at them, or just going off and not doing anything at all."
With that, they arrived at the gates of Tickleland. A sign above the gates read:
WARNING!
TRAVELERS THROUGH TICKLELAND
ARE WELCOME
"That's a strange sign," said Dorothy. "Warning you that you're welcome?"
"Well, when you think about it," said the Scarecrow, "travelers are food if caught and tickled. So naturally they welcome you. And they are warning you in advance, which is very nice of them. After all, if you are caught, you may be tickled to death."