(A) It shows the reader that the boy is not very tough.
<em><u>Explanation:</u></em>
In this fragment, the kid is physically fundamentally the same as his dad, he even acts and dresses like a grown-up, however from this underlined sentence we can comprehend that he is as yet a kid that cries and is touchy. Those tears-stains demonstrate the peruser that under his appearance, he can't shroud his profound emotions as grown-up men should do.