Family

Tree-ear is an orphan. From a very early age, Tree-ear has lived with Crane-man, a homeless man who can barely care for himself let alone take care of a young child. However, Crane-man is a good man and he raises Tree-ear to the best of his ability. Tree-ear learns a strong sense of morality from Crane-man that becomes his compass as he moves through the common trials of life.

Min and his wife once had a son. This was their only child and a child who was deeply loved by them both. However, the child died when he was about Tree-ear's age and left a hole in the Min family. For this reason, Min has difficulty allowing himself to care about another child, particularly Tree-ear.

It is traditional in Korea that the sons of potters learn their father's trade because there was once a shortage of potters. This...