He's living in his own fantasy world, where everything can happen. He's picking up something. Yes, he found a coin and puts into his pocket. So, he's miserly. He's so miserly, that he's ready to starve just to save a dime.
Adults are weird.
Yeah, I know that. But Sarah, I think this old man is a philosopher. Look at that long, white hair, which hasn't been cut for many years. We talked about it in class. A philosopher is a human being, who thinks about Life - how it is and why it is.