Tommy wondered if Ethan noticed the slight shift in his face, the hint of hesitation as he thought about it. Tommy knew that he couldn't change his life no matter if he had powers or didn't. "I think you already know that growing up for me wasn't easy, Ethan." Tommy didn't have parents. Didn't have siblings aside from the other orphan kids who were as close as brothers and sisters that he could get.
"I guess I would still be living on the streets stealing scraps and selling drugs." Tommy's powers gave him that extra push to do more and steal more efficiently. If he didn't have his powers then it would just been stealth and his own wits. "My powers sort of helped me with that. Gave me a place with people who were just trying to survive, too. I probably wouldn't have met them."
Or maybe Tommy would have and things would have just gone the same way only he wouldn't be trapped in the Regiment. He didn't have any powers so if he did get caught one day it would have been prison for him.