Are all of Charlie's decisions for the greater good of his family and friends?

In addition, early in the novel, Charlie comments on how his desire to no longer be cold provoked him to take up running as a means of generating heat; he likens being cold to being poor, as people in the Richmond slums have no money to properly insulate or heat their homes. By association, Charlie is not only trying to outrun the cold, he is trying to outrun his poverty. For Charlie, the fastest and easiest way of escaping poverty is to work for Squizzy Taylor, who, in exchange for the danger and moral compromise the job involves, pays him far more than any honest job Charlie could attain. What Charlie doesn't realize is how Squizzy exploits the desperation that arises from his poverty, just as Mr. Peacock exploits Ma's reliance on him for firewood. It is this desire to run away from the impoverished circumstances of his life that leads Charlie to eventually secure enough money to buy his own timber yard, meaning he and his family will no longer have to be cold or have to rely on predatory people who seek to exploit them.

Charlie's ambition to escape poverty sets the plot of Runner in motion. Growing up poor in a slum, Charlie has few opportunities at his disposal; he acknowledges that people in Richmond need to take what they can get, even if it involves duplicity. His strong desire to achieve success as the man of his house leads him to accept an unjust win against the other boys in the egg race, and later to purposefully manipulate the odds against him in the Ballarat mile. While Charlie's determination leads him to lie and cheat often, he is ultimately successful in his goals. His ambition to outrun his poverty leads him to attain enough money to secure a wealthy future for himself and his family.