Merope Gaunt survived the birth of little Tom, but she no longer has a way to Little Hangleton: Marvolo can kill her and her son, and Tom Riddle clearly said that he did not need this child at all. Forced to leave the orphanage, she wanders through the streets of the city without a penny in her pocket, completely having no idea what to do next, until she feels someone grabbing her skirt, saying "Why you cry?".