Nwoye was seen associating with the Christians. After being threatened by Okonkwo, he joins the Christians and volunteered to go to Umuofia where a school had been set up to to teach young Christians literacy. Effectively, Nwoye had abandoned the gods of Okonwko and his fathers.
Nwoye's actions in converting to Christianity and ultimately rejecting his father's traditions and beliefs disturbed Okonkwo because he saw it as a betrayal of their family and Igbo heritage. Okonkwo believed that Nwoye's change represented a weakening of their clan's identity and a rejection of the values that he held dear.