Character Analysis
Things aren't always easy going with Cam's family when he gets home from war. And while we want to believe that they love and care for him, they're not the best at expressing it—if anything, it seems like they are better at shutting Cam out or fighting with him than actually expressing their emotions. We hear that "Da and Cam fought, and it was a thing too big for tears" (6.1), which sounds to us like there are a whole lot of bottled up emotions hanging around this household.
Later, when Cam asks if Pin finds him a stranger, their dad responds, "'Do you blame her when you're never about?'" (6.92). By "never about," he's referring to Cam being off at war. And while it makes sense that Pin doesn't really know Cam because he's been gone fighting most of her life, there's some anger or resentment in Da's words that sound like he feels betrayed by Cam too.
We get to see the best and worst of Cam's family, perhaps because they've been put through the wringer so many times. They're happy that Cam is alive, but even they find it questionable that he's the only one to have survived—all the snide comments and gossip from the community can't help either. We think Cam's family is so on edge all the time because they're not sure whether Cam will stick around.
Running Scared
It turns out they're right to be unsure, and when Cam leaves again, they'd rather not talk about him because they're not strong enough to have him go again. So even though they're tough, it's super hard on them to have Cam run off and be so distant from them. Check out their reaction to learning that Cam plans to come home one day:
Mam held her apron to her mouth and cried, cried like Pin cried, just tears and no noise. Da shoved the bench back and walked to the door, to the hearth, then stood at Mam's back. (16.172)
It's clear that they care about him, they're just not sure if they'll ever get to see him again. The thing we want to know is: Are Cam's family partly responsible for him running off? If they treated him differently when he returned from war, might he still be around? We'll let you sort this one out, Shmoopsters.