1984 by George Orwell

From the text:

He did not remember the raid itself, but he did remember his father's hand clutching his own as they hurried down, down, down into some place deep in the earth, round and round a spiral staircase which rang under his feet and which finally so wearied his legs that he began whimpering and they had to stop and rest. His mother, in her slow, dreamy way, was following a long way behind them.

Don John wants revenge because he did not get a title from his father because he is his half brother also claudio prevented don john from hurting don pedro