“I get closer and see that he has stuck something into his arm, something he pulls out just as he looks up and sees me.” 

This is the first indication that Xavier is not only suffering from pain but also a morphine addict, which is highlighted by his guilty look on being seen injecting himself with the drug. 

“My body hums with nephew’s pain and with the realization that he has come home only to die.” 

Niska’s relief to find that her nephew is not dead, as she has thought for some time, is complicated by the realization that he is in so much pain that he has come home only to die.

“Their morphine eats men. It has fed on me for the last months, and when it is all gone I will be the one to starve to death. I will not be able to live without it.”

Morphine is viewed as an animal that eats away at men. Ironically, Xavier will starve to death when the morphine is gone. This highlights how powerful his addiction is.