That shows that even though she knows he is a troubled kid, she still takes him in as if he was her own. She showered the boy and fed the boy, Like the boy was her son. She she took the boy in even though that he was bad. She knew what the boy's life was like. I wonder if the lady would have taken in a boy not like her.
The reason for this is I think the author wanted to show you that there was a strong connection