Question

Why does he break down in tears after the fire? (A House is Not a Home)

Answer 1

He breaks down in tears because it was all too overwhelming for him to take in. He was suffering loss big time. He recently moved into a new high school where all the students were new, the fire had engulfed his house which had been his only place of comfort and now he could not find his cat anywhere. So he presumes that the cat perished in the fire.