So the one guy offers to raise the little boy Sonny, and Ree says hell no. She later mentions this to a friend, and the friend asks "Does he know about Sonny?" And Ree says "Not from me, but probably from someone" What are they referring to? I assumed it would be revealed later in the film, but no dice.
shareThe line is "Does he know? Sonny?" Meaning, Does Sonny know?
After the "Not from me" line, Ree says, "He doesn't even know Dad cooks." Therefore, the question was, Does Sonny know his dad is dead?
The one guy is Blonde Milton, Jessup's first cousin. He had an affair with Ree's mother while Jessup was in prison and Sonny is his child.
shareBlond Milton (the man across the way) is Sonny's father.
It says so in the book.
The friend is asking Ree if Sonny knows that Blond Milton is his father.
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This was a rather bungled adaptation of a plot element in the book.
In the book it is explicitly said that the boy is the illegitimate son of the neighbor. The friend asks Ree if the neighbor knows this, because that would account for the offer. But the movie didn't include the explanation.