Hey, i'm reading a book and i want to know what this question mean.
how does the setting us understand the character?

if the character had to chose to save himself, or help the friend, if save self, he's a coward and selfish. if go back to help, he is a big- hearted character.

the assumption the narrator makes in this excerpt is that the messages he heards were going to hurt the narrator's mom; the narrator just springs in to action. the narrator doesn't specify in this excerpt why he believes that the messages present a problem that requires protection.