I just broke down, and Papa let me cry it all out. I just sobbed and sobbed with my head up toward the sky and my eyes closed, hoping God would hear it.
"That's what being a man is all about, boy. It's just doing what's got to be done." (14.31-32)
Shmoop thinks it's really nice that Papa doesn't discourage Rob's tears, but lets him cry all he needs to. Even in Rob and Papa's be-a-man type world, being a man doesn't mean you have to like the dirty job—it just means you have to get it done.
Quote 2
"Never miss a chance," Papa had once said, "to keep your mouth shut." And the more I studied on it, the sounder it grew. (10.13)
Oh, Papa. So wise. Shmoop sure could use that reminder once in a while. In fact, it reminds us of something Mark Twain once said: "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt" (source). Zing!
Quote 3
Strong hands were touching my legs now, and then my ribs. I tried to say something about not being in school. Somebody had some warm water and washed my face with it. The water had lilac in it, and smelled right restful.
"We're beholding to you, Benjamin Tanner," said Papa, "for fetching him home. Whatever he done, I'll make it right." (2.8)
This is the first time we encounter Papa in the book, and we immediately get a strong sense of his character and his priorities. It's clearly very important to him that he "make right" whatever bad thing he thinks Rob has done. In the world of A Day No Pigs Would Die, that's just a father's job.