Since we know the father is abusive and we get so few references to the kid's mom, I wonder why she's absent? Did she leave? Did she pass away? Did the father take the kid away from her? Is this pic in the present time or is part of it a flashback? All I could get out of these pics is that the kid was happier with her in the picture, that she probably wasn't abusive (he seems to have happier memories of her, if this pic tells us anything), and that her leaving wasn't on a good note.