Though he is kind-hearted and optimistic, being a child actor had led to Jack being sheltered, naive, and socially awkward.

However, when Jack finds out that his parents had squandered all his earnings, he and Triumph are forced into a life of thievery and prostitution.

This goes on until Jack decides to visit June Gregory, who played the role of his mother in Triumph's Boy.

Over the course of 15 years, June helps teach Jack how to live a normal life while Triumph follows her scent back to her house, picking up many jobs along the way to sustain himself.

The result is that Triumph and June are attempting to pull Jack in opposite directions, and he essentially has no power over his own life as the two manipulate him.