Where would Ishmael be now in his life if his family was with him in the military?

I feel like if Ishmael had some family to help him through his travels, he could have handled the ordeal better. Even if Ishmael only had his older brother Junior, Junior could have protected him and tried to keep the bad thoughts out of his head. Ishmael had to deal with everything himself, if he had someone to help him along, he would have been better off.