It explains how he had been the provider for the household for then and how his childhood was almost nonexistent. The story starts with him being 12 at that time having already lost his innocent and had the irritability of an old man. In all of his job he was terribly efficient being described as a machine many times. Even when one of his siblings became old enough to work his mother made sure he stayed in school laying all the responsibility to Johnny. As this continued one day when he was 16 he had to stay home sick for a couple days after which he decided he was done moving and just wanted to do nothing for the rest of his life after which he boarded a train and left his family.