Asher finds out that the Rebbe is going to meet with him alone, as he was meeting with all the other students who would soon have their bar mitzvahs. A week before the meeting, Asher stays after school every day to study the Torah so that he will make his parents happy.
This shows how much Asher wants to please everyone. The only other time he ever gave up drawing was when he was not able to draw. Asher concentrates on studying and stops drawing because he really wants to please his parents and teachers, but sometimes his gift for drawing just takes over.
This foreshadows that Asher will have to become an artist, even though it is against his religion. The gift is too strong for Asher to be able to ignore it for very long, even if he really tries. Regardless of how awkward the situation may turn out Asher might have to be a Hasidic artist.