If the character is well-written enough and feels like a living entity that people can relate to (which is what the best characters usually are), the audience will usually sympathize with them. So far, you've already set up a situation like that. The main character is far away from his home, feels a bit homesick, and misses his family (in this case, a little brother). Young men and women who have recently moved out of their home, especially those with a younger sibling who is still at home, will be drawn to the character if he is written well enough. You may have to expand on it a bit (How did they lose their parents? Has he taken a job - or maybe two - to earn enough money to go out of the country to college? Things like that.), but so far, you've set up a scenario where people will sympathize with him and his plight.
As for words and phrases...you want to mention it in passing. Describing the character's mood, body language, how he talks and acts, and how he interacts with other people will say a whole lot more and hit a whole lot harder than merely describing it in detail. You want to make it noticeable, but not enough to the point where it's beating the readers over the head with it.
Other than that, I don't have much to add. Good luck with your story.