The role of sons

In Milton Murayama's All I asking for is my body, the protagonist and his older brother are expected to pay off their family's debt. I can understand why Toshio, the older brother, is frustrated since he had nothing to do with the debt; his grandfather had abandoned their family and left them struggling in poverty. And this was after his father had seen to it that his grandfather's debts were paid and had money to pay for a new shop in Japan. Toshio's work on a plantation day in and out made him bitter and resentful toward his parents, to the point that he regularly argued with his mother and even struck out at his father. To be fair though, his father used to beat him as a child so call that karma. After Toshio beat his father the person he locked horns with most of the time was his mother, usually over his sisters who didn't have to work in the fields. They were expected to get an education and get married, not pick sugar cane. The freedom they possessed was something Toshio desperately wanted, but it was not available for him. Boxing proved to be a good outlet for Toshio, but he wasn't good enough to earn a meaningful salary. While I agree that being saddled with a tremendous debt is ridiculous at the same time I respect part of the system of filial piety. Respecting one's parents and taking care of them as they have taken care of us is important.