The answer is A. his embarrassment about the cause of his beloved father's death.
The story revolves around Jerome's father dying because he was crushed by a pig that fell from a balcony. Jerome used to idolize his father, perhaps partially because he also lost his mother when he was very young and his father was the only parent he had. As he grew older, he realized people's reactions to this event was laughter. He became embarrased, and this caused him angst.
