I think that the writer uses a lot of text about friends and family, ultimately leading to an emotional state of the reader. It shows Shmuel is in some kind of grief?
I'm not entirely sure of what's happening in this story, but it sounds like something happened to Shmuel's family, and he is either mourning or trying to get them back. "Before we came here" and 'lived' would indicate that something happened to his family and he came with a friend, perhaps. I can't provide an answer without the full source. But I hope what I said gives you some inspiration.
Hope this helps!
-Your friendly neighborhood 8th Grader :)