chapter 5 is one of the few in which the narrator pays attention to food. what do the boys eat? what does this tell us about the time and place of the story?

Johnny brought, "A week's supply of baloney, two loaves of bread". I don't know how this connects to your latter question.

Chapter 5 is one of the few chapters in which the narrator pays attention to food. What do the boys eat? What does this tell the reader about the setting (time/place) of the story? Why might the author have chosen to mention food at this point in the story?