What is the importance of the factory in the novel, The End of Eddy?

The factory outside the village is the source of income for the majority of the villagers in Eddy's town. Although it is never specified what kind of factory it is, the factory’s pollution is mentioned several times and Eddy’s asthma is loosely linked to that pollution. In contrast to the home, the factory is a predominantly male space. All the workers are male, and their break time conversation is often quite raunchy and misogynistic. Eddy vows he will never go to work at the factory, depriving the reader of a chance to observe the factory in greater detail. The factory contributes to Eddy's father's back problems.