Question: How do we know that Joey’s start in life wasn’t pleasant?

While Joey remembers a few indistinct snippets of life alongside his mother, his first strong memory is of the horse sale that separated him from this figure of comfort. Joey's mother was quickly sold, while Joey himself was, after some hesitation on the part of the crowd, finally bought by a gruff and somewhat drunken man. Now separated from his mother, Joey lashes out in panic when the buyer and a few other men try to harness him.