You would need to establish that he was orphaned and had previously been of socially upscale stock to begin with, so as to begin the story, but really nothing more. He (and the reader) needs know nothing more at this point.
Later he can learn his parents were done by a Guild Assassin hired by the political head of the Citadel but not know why. Then, from some other part of his travels he could learn his parents ran an importing concern that brought stuff into small Brythinian (sic) ports rather than into the Citadel, thus avoiding paying the head politician's payola, customs and duties, and therefore able to undercut the monopolistic system of the equally scumbag Merchant Guild in the Citadel.
Some other time in the story he hears of the ship design that made it possible; fast smaller cleverly rigged ships that could outrun the Revenue and Customs cutters of the day and berth in smaller fishing-style ports. (I'm making all this up as I try to clarify the idea of parallel plotline, of course.)
He can hear from the guy you featured who rose to the head of the Assassin's Guild the identity of who ordered his parents death, and perhaps then orchestrate the offing of that person, be it the head politician or the head of the Merchant's Guild or both, as a matter of justice. After all, is Tim not imperfect and perhaps follows through on extracting some revenge of his own? Perhaps these humans find that a socially expected thing in their culture, unlike ours, and that action tells the reader more about the culture of Brythan itself.
All this I'm making up as an example of how to explain Tim's background, flesh him out a bit, flesh out the society a bit for the reader, do it in greater detail than a chapter or sidebar can support, and by doing that as part of the story line allow you the ability to go into that detail.
Does it make better sense now?
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