I saw this scene within the past 3-5 years, in color, in English, and I think it was from a movie but can’t remember anything else about the plot.

The scene is a flashback about the main character as a young boy.  He and his parents lived on a farm and were very poor/generally lived during a hard time in history.  A traveler/hobo comes and asks if he may work for the father that day in return for shelter and food overnight.  The father reluctantly agrees.  That night, the hobo stays in the barn and the young boy goes out to talk with him.  The hobo tell the boy about a system that travelers like him use to let each other know if a family/man is kind to them, and shows him the different symbols.

The next day, the boy’s father throws the hobo out without paying him what they agreed.  The boy later runs out to their mailbox to see what symbol was left, and is disappointed to see the symbol meaning thief.

This is a “character development” scene, and for the life of me I can’t remember what the rest of the movie/show is about.  Many thanks for any suggestions!