I can't say I really understood the story in full... however, that said, the main meaning is likely around loneliness of a child in a completely new environment and how he isn't treated fair (by his uncle) nor how the society pulls him into very strange situations. I have also been a young one in a strange country, far from home, making my way and the danger lurking are many. I can also understand the loneliness aspect from a cultural point of view - you simply don't feel like you fit. But, you try to make do anyway. It's interesting but there were many descriptions and some dialogue that was simply bizarre... maybe this was normal back in the day. Maybe.