From what I remember from the behind the scenes and during an award speech by Jane Kaczmarek, the actor playing Dewey came from a pretty broken home and his family lived a fair distance from LA. He was often invited back to Bryan’s house rather than travelling the long distance back home. Bryan had a kid the same age and Jane thanked Bryan for showing him into his home and treating him as he were his own son. I got the impression from Jane that he had a pretty fucked life and those times spent at Cranston’s house were one of the only good things.