I sense a lonesome man who probably has lived during the times when all that was available was old clothes which had to be repurposed. I'll bet his mother did just that, and his grandmother also.
If he lived during the depression, those were hard lessons to learn and harder even to let go. Watching you probably brought back very difficult memories, and maybe also a reminder of what he might be facing in the present day.
Hugs being sent your way... and also to that lonesome man where ever he may be.
If I had read all the posts before posting this, I would have seen "donnacrazylady"'s comments. But I do feel the same.