Family. He didn't have any family. But this child did... how was any of this possible?

Insane, he decided to himself. I've gone insane. Perhaps he was still wandering in the wilderness somewhere, his fever unchecked, hallucinating as he died by degrees.

If so, then what difference did anything make? It wasn't as though anyone cared about him anymore. He might as well go along with the hallucination until it faded.

That said, though, he still had his pride. "I don't want to rely on anyone's generosity," he said simply. "I'm old enough to take care of myself."