How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Dead Poets Society.
Quote #4
KNOX: Tell him off. It couldn't get any worse.
NEIL: Oh, that's rich. Like you guys tell your parents off?
Knox and Charles confront Neil about why he won't stand up to his father, and Neil's response is pretty revealing: because nobody at Welton does. They might not look like it, but they are in a similar boat. They have to live up to certain expectations in order to win familial approval, and Neil knows it (and doesn't hesitate to remind them).
Quote #5
NEIL: Hey.
TODD: Hey.
NEIL: What's going on?
TODD: (Dejectedly) Today's my birthday. […] My parents just gave me this.
NEIL: Isn't that the same desk set…
TODD: Yeah, they gave me the same thing as last year.
Todd's parents can't even remember what gift they gave him the year before. He's an afterthought, as the youngest of several less-shy siblings, and is easily forgotten. Even at Welton, he's often referred to as "that Anderson" as if his last name is more memorable than his first. It's no wonder he feels dejected and maybe even a little unloved.
Quote #6
NEIL: I can see his point. We aren't a rich family. But he's planning the rest of my life for me and…he's never asked me what I want.
MR. KEATING: Have you ever told your father what you just told me? About your passion for acting? Have you ever showed him that?
NEIL: I can't.
MR. KEATING: Why not?
NEIL: I can't talk to him this way.
MR. KEATING: Then you're acting for him, too. You're playing the part of dutiful son.
It seems like Todd's main issue with his father is a lack of communication. In earlier scenes, the normally confident and outgoing Neil struggles to even get a word out when disagreeing with his father. He stammers and stops before he can express himself. But is it because he has trouble standing up to his father, or because it won't matter anyway that Neil can't speak? Would communication really solve the issues between them?