““Richard's answer might have been perfect for an intellectual debate among adults, but unfortunately it was not really what Tommy needed or wanted to hear right then. He yearned for his father to say something definite, so he could hold on to some fixed point in his rapidly spinning social world. Unknowingly, Richard had given the worst answer he could for his fourteen-year-old son. He had thrown the issue back on Tommy to decide, and Tommy on his own was no match for the forces aligned against him.””
