The thing I can't figure out is that if his uncle is telling him his father was a kind, gentle person, either Hoskins is his father but isn't that kind or gentle (he keeps getting turned down so there must be a reason for that), or Hoskins isn't his father.
I've also been trying to interpret the crayon story as a metaphor but can't really come up with a good one Durkon's mom wouldn't want him to know about.