Read this excerpt from From Farm House to the White House. "George can make his home with me, now that his school-days are over," said Lawrence to his mother, anxious to keep his young brother in his own family at Mount Vernon.

"But I need him more than you do," objected Mrs. Washington; "you can hardly imagine how I miss him."

"So do we miss him when he is not here," responded Lawrence. "George is good company, as much so as a man of twenty-five years of age. I want very much that he should make his home with me."

What is the most likely reason why the author includes the details in this excerpt?

to explain character motivations
to describe the setting and time period
to build readers' interest in Mount Vernon
to demonstrate George Washington’s qualities