The recapture of depreciation changes the character of the gain on a section 1231 asset from a(n) gain to income.

capital

ordinary

Explanation: A section 1231 asset is a kind of property that is held for more than one year as defined by section 1231 of the United States Internal Revenue Code. This property is real or depreciable assets. Section 1231 assets include: buildings, land, machinery, livestock, leaseholds etc.

For the recapture of depreciation to exist there must be a sale of a section 1231 sold at a gain. However the gain that is realised must be reported as an ordinary income for tax purposes. Thereafter if the selling price of this asset is higher than the tax basis then the difference is essentially recaptured. This done by changing it from a capital gain to ordinary income.

the assumption the narrator makes in this excerpt is that the messages he heards were going to hurt the narrator's mom; the narrator just springs in to action. the narrator doesn't specify in this excerpt why he believes that the messages present a problem that requires protection.