The most likely reason twain included details from his own life:

One way that the novel differs from earlier literary works is that novelists often leave out many details associated with the setting novels only portray positive aspects of heroes and other important figures characters' personalities in novels are only revealed through dialogue readers are often able to relate better to the characters in novels

London includes a quote about john thornton as he is observing hal attempt to motivate the exhausted dogs "it was idle, he knew, to get between a fool and his folly". if the word "idle" is defined as "of no real worth, importance, or significance", what does this statement mean with regard to hal? who is the fool? what is hal's folly? why would john thornton think it of no real worth or useless to intervene?

Julius caesar. [brutus.] with this, she fell distraught, and, her attendants absent, swallowed fire. cassius. and died so? brutus. even so. cassius. o ye immortal gods! [enter lucius, with wine and taper] brutus. speak no more of her. give me a bowl of wine. in this i bury all unkindness, cassius. cassius. my heart is thirsty for that noble pledge. fill, lucius, till the wine o'erswell the cup; i cannot drink too much of brutus' love. [exit lucius. enter titinius, with messala] brutus. come in, titinius; welcome, good messala. now sit we close about this taper here, and call in question our necessities. cassius. portia, art thou gone? brutus. no more, i pray you. what moral dilemma does brutus confront in this excerpt? brutus lets go of his anger toward cassius and forgives him. brutus decides that he will not mourn portia and will stay loyal to cassius. brutus decides that he is too angry at cassius to remain friends with him. brutus questions whether cassius's life should be ended.