Final answer:
Many men were away in Trevor's community due to reasons such as the demands of war, where millions were drafted, the psychological effects of unemployment, and community-wide struggles such as threats of attack during labor-intensive periods.
Step-by-step explanation:
There were numerous reasons why so many men were away in Trevor's community when he was young. One significant factor was the impact of war, which led to many men enlisting or being drafted to fight. Historical accounts reveal that by the end of a particular war, millions of soldiers had joined the army, many of them draftees from rural areas who had rarely been to a large city.
Additionally, the psychological effects of unemployment and the inability to support families pushed men to leave their communities in search of work. In such difficult times, it was not uncommon for men to struggle with the loss of their traditional roles as providers, which could lead them to search for jobs elsewhere or engage in other activities to cope, such as visiting nearby villages.
Moreover, certain communities faced direct threats from attackers or kidnappers during times when adults were away at labor in fields, highlighting the various dangers and instabilities of the era.