We all know the kid in that book was a dick, even the author who wrote it. The book was meant as more of a lesson on how humans can take, take, take but so very few end up cultivating enough enlightenment to give anything back. Silverstein was trying to send a message in the book, so he had to give the book a certain ending. In the Crime Pays version, the message is that a paradigm shift needs to happen or the tree is going to be threatening to break some legs. Happy endings! Yay!