Although my recollection of the narrative is hazy at best, the main protagonist is a poor young boy who lives in the city (New York/Boston?) with his family, trying to cope with his unhappy childhood. His father is mentally (and physically?) abusive towards him and he is constantly bullied by kids in the neighborhood. The two scenes I vividly remember happen towards the end of the movie: (1) At his home, the boy’s “friend” steals some of his baseball cards and (2) after having an abusive altercation with his father, the boy runs out of the house, into the street and is run over and killed by a passing automobile.
Watching this sad story unfold as a young child, it had such a profound effect on my psyche at the time. I will always remember those emotions felt following the end credits roll.