The workers (were ) on a strike for three week when the agreement on pay (was reached).
Thoreau’s reasons for moving to the woods are; to live in front of essential facts of life, to live sturdily and spartan like, to drive life to a corner, the purpose of thoreaus writing is to inform his journey of living in a cabin that he built in the woods. The lines 26-40 are talking about what thoreau why he is doing this, living by himself and what he hopes to gain from it.
So there would be someone to blame for her mother's leaving
