Circus

[YOSHITAKEHORI]

The following passage is that a father met one family who was
in line for the circus but found lack of money , and helped them with some
money. I cannot understand the last sentence. May I understand that
it means "we didn't go without helping them." ?
qot
The man knew what was going on. He wasn't begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking, embarrassing situation. He looked straight into my dad's eyes, took my dad's hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied, "Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family."
My father and I went back to our car and drove home. We didn't go to the circus that night, but we didn't go without.
unqot

[Coffa]

The following passage is that a father met one family who was
in line for the circus but found lack of money , and helped them with some
money. I cannot understand the last sentence. May I understand that
it means "we didn't go without helping them." ?
qot
The man knew what was going on. He wasn't begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking, embarrassing situation. He looked straight into my dad's eyes, took my dad's hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied, "Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family."
My father and I went back to our car and drove home. We didn't go to the circus that night, but we didn't go without.
unqot

No. To 'go without' in this context is an idiom meaning 'go without what is necessary for life' - food, shelter, etc. For example: "Our family was extremely poor, but our mother made sure we never went without."

[YOSHITAKEHORI]

Coffa
Thank you for your reply. Now I understand the meaning of "go without" as an idiom. But I'm still confused by that in this context. They didn't go without
a what? " We didn't go to the circus that night, but we didn't go without
dinner?"