Chris has no one to look over the house for him. And the dog is at the pound. I'm sure they aren't telling him much about Barb's status... but what is on the top of his mind? He worries about his toy hoard.
The mortgage will go into default with no one to pay it, the bills will pile up at the door, and in the not too distant future, the house and its contents will go to the creditors. You can bet that the neighbors won't lift a finger to help them. They probably can't wait for the house to be taken away so they can get some nice new neighbors at 14 BC.