[He ends up with some hint of a smile on his face... it's nice to not feel like he's being pried into, but just encouraged to keep the conversation going. It's nice.. relaxing. He can see why he's friends with this man.]

Fuck, I never cared one way or the other... I'll eat anything someone puts in front of me. I've even out of the garbage... more times than I wanna admit. [He shrugs.] If anything, I kinda like the smell. Smells like... accomplishment. Like the smell of going out and making something of myself, not just- being under someone's boot, y'know? I spent six fucking years as someone's dog, so... working there meant being free.

[A fact that he's nowhere near as comfortable with as he makes it sound... he still lives fully at the behest of Bill Gordon, and when he comes home at night he remains dazed and confused without a guiding force. But at this age, Dodger really thought if he pretended he was okay with things for long enough he would start feeling the way people are supposed to.]