At the beginning, Homer seemed like the “loner” of the memoir, but in this scene, it’s Homer Sr. who seems like the isolated, foolish person. While everyone around him—his wife, his son, Mr. Dubonnet—recognizes the truth (that Coalwood will inevitably fold up), Homer Sr. distances himself from the popular opinion. It’s maddening, but also poignant, that Homer Sr. refuses to see the naked truth: he’s devoted his entire life to mining, and can’t stand to think that his children won’t be able to do the same.