What does his behavior reveal about his character?

”At half-past twelve, to the minute, he arrived at the forks of the creek.” (London 841). He sat down for a break and to have his biscuits for lunch, but he had forgotten to make a fire to thaw them. “He chuckled at his foolishness, and as he chuckled he noted the numbness creeping up into the exposed fingers” (London 842). “He was a bit frightened” (London 842) as to how fast his fingers and toes got numb. “And he laughed at him at the time!” (London 842). AND in what way are those traits important for the subsequent actin?