Homer’s experiences outside of town remind him of what he likes about Coalwood: his friends, his projects for building rockets, and his adventures looking for supplies. There’s a common motif in coming of age stories: the protagonist has to leave his hometown, have a cathartic experience elsewhere, and then return to his home, endowed with a new appreciation for it. Homer experiences his own kind of catharsis in this scene (one might say he’s “baptized” anew in the river), and then can return to Coalwood refreshed.