My take is that he is a passive male, raised by a domineering mama, so he doesn't leave the set because the producers didn't tell him to. He probably married the same type of woman -- hence the problem with the stepchild, who may be able to break the mold.
DailyMailOnline: Detroit boy found in his own basement after being missing for 12 days is released from hospital - but he's NOT gone home to his parents
“The boy was found behind a makeshift barrier and had access in and out of the basement through a tunnel, police sources have said. They added that the boy's stepmother had helped to hide him after her husband 'beat the boy with PVC pipe’.”