A boy of 14 is a big nuisance . He is neither ornamental nor useful.

He grows unattractive and it

becomes difficult to adore him , like it is done with a young boy. He always seems to be getting in the
way. When he speaks with a childish lisp, he is called a baby but when he speaks in an grown up
manner, he is called impertinent. In fact , any talk from him is resented.The boy undergoes physical
changes as he grows out of his clothes, his face becomes angular and unsightly and his voice
becomes hoarse.The lad becomes painfully self-conscious. While talking to strangers, he is either
unduly forward or unduly shy, as if he appears ashamed of his very own existence. However , at this
very age, a boy’s heart craves for recoginition and love and he becomes the devoted slave of anyone
who shows him recoginition.

He wanted to relieve his sister from the hardships of raising a lazy disobedient and wild boy like
Phatik and also wanted to take him to Calcutta for better education.

Explanation: At the sight of his mother from his deathbed, he utters,

"Mother, the holidays have come." This ambiguous line is significant
because it represents being reunited with his mother, who obviously
loves him, and it represents death - the other homecoming

The end of this chapter clearly describes the two feelings. A strong
feeling of sadness experienced by the mother because she knew
Phatik was going to die. On the other hand, Phatik was happy as he
felt he would be able to go back to the village and enjoy all his
pastimes along with his friends.