 When he got out of prison, he did not want his sons' futures jeopardised by being associated with a criminal, so let them assume he was dead.He had lived alone on the mountain for many years and saved a lot of money from the beautiful woodcarvings he sold, similar to the amount he had stolen.He could not repay the people he had stolen from, since he did not know who they were, but his hope was that instead he might be able to use the money to help someone in need.