His mother would not hear of his leaving her to find better work or to obtain promotion.
She needed him, she wailed; he was her life, her all; she should die if he left her.

Some hard-hearted townspeople, Captain Hunniwell among them, disgustedly opined that, in view of such a result, Jed should be forcibly kidnaped forthwith for the general betterment of the community.

But Jed himself never rebelled.

He cheerfully gave up his youth and early middle age to his mother and waited upon her, ran her errands, sat beside her practically every evening and read romance after romance aloud for her benefit.

And his "queerness" developed, as under such circumstances it was bound to do.
Money had to be earned and, as the invalid would not permit him to leave her to earn it, it was necessary to find ways of earning it at home.