He has yet to achieve financial independence, wasting too much time and money betting on horses and enjoying the camaraderie of a vividly depicted 1950s-era San Francisco Chinatown. Uncle Chester, like Artie, is the youngest of his generation and has also been the target of a little bullying.
In the way that young children often do, when pressed by his bullying older cousin Petey 8-year-old Artie boasts that he’ll provide the whole family with firecrackers for the upcoming Chinese New Year. Firecrackers are expensive, and he quickly regrets the promise, but Petey won’t let him forget it.