Bud first tells his readers that his eyes don't cry anymore in chapter one. Already by this point in Bud's life he has been through a lot of hardship. His mom died when he was six years old, and he has been in and out of foster homes over the past four years. The orphanage that he is currently in is awful as well. The Great Depression is in full swing, so money for food and clothing for orphans is almost non-existent.
I think Bud's eyes "don't cry no more" because he has become hardened and numb to the misery and hardship that he is in. Additionally, he has had to grow up fast and learn to be tough to survive. He sees crying as something that shows weakness.
I knew if I was a regular kid I'd be crying buckets of tears now, I didn't want these men to think I was a baby so I was real glad that my eyes don't cry no more.
Of course Bud does eventually cry uncontrollably in chapter 14. He does this because he finally sheds a little bit of his tough exterior. While out to dinner with the band, Bud begins to feel a little bit of love and joy. Plus, the band members are people that Bud believes that he can trust. They are people that won't hurt Bud or take advantage of him. All of that knowledge comes flooding into Bud's brain, and he is able to let go of the misery and sadness that he has been holding back for so long.
I was smiling and laughing and busting my gut so much that I got carried away and some rusty old valve squeaked open in me then -- woop, zoop, sloop -- tears started jumping out of my eyes so hard that I had to cover my face with the big red and white napkin that was on the table.
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