Uh...it's kinda like a vigilante, Old West-style policeman. A Gunslinger's job is to, I guess, keep order and uphold justice. Roland is the last real Gunslinger, see. So that's why his quest is so important. He's the only one who can do it.

[His breathing slows noticeably. This is the part of the story he doesn't like to think about.]

Anyway. They were basically holdin' my brother for ransom, banking on me to be unreliable. The whole thing...it turned into a shootout. And you already know how that story ends.