How does any of this tie into the story?

 

The culture was very different from what it is now. We can understand that the way of life will be different, for example Duddy will go through a lot of hard patches trying to make a name for himself while being considered a poor Jewish. Fathers work hard to provide for their families and this is thaught to the youngest very early on, “work hard for what you want.” Duddy would need to start working at a young age, while most of his friends were rich and could afford a lot more then him.