How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
The old man had returned his gaze to my huddled form as I crouched, shivering, hugging my knees to my chest in the spring chill, and I thought I saw pity in his eyes, a profound empathy for my plight, and not just the immediate plight of being forced to accompany my guardian on this dark errand. Perhaps he intuited the full cost of being "indispensable" to Dr. Pellinore Warthrop. (2.144)
Will Henry doesn't get a whole lot of compassion on a daily basis (Dr. Warthrop isn't big on mushy emotions), so this glimpse of empathy must feel like a big deal. His situation is one that many people would pity; he is, after all, an orphan, and then you add the environment in which he's being raised. Who can blame Erasmus for wanting to give him the childhood he deserves?
Quote #2
He made no move to comfort me, and I doubt comforting me was his purpose. He cared not whether I forgave him for taking the life of the old man. He was a scientist. Forgiveness mattered not; understanding was all. (4.10)
If you put yourself in Will Henry's shoes, don't you feel just awful? We have to remember that he's only twelve, and he just witnessed a man being killed. That does stuff to people (you know, like Batman—that guy is not mentally stable). A hug or even just a pat on the head probably would have been more than welcome to the poor kid, but he's stuck with a man who thinks understanding the situation is all that's needed. Poor Will Henry.
Quote #3
But reading it did accomplish one thing. As is so often the case, the insights we seek are not those we find: I could see him clearly in my mind's eye, huddled in his nightshirt upon his little cot, feverishly writing this letter between fits of coughing, a boy not unlike me, torn from his family and friends, with no one and nothing to console him. For the first time I felt something other than awe and fear toward the monstrumologist. For the first time I felt pity. My heart ached for the sick little boy so far from home. (5.54)
It's totally normal to empathize with someone when you gain insight into their past and what makes them tick. Will Henry just got a small glimpse into the intricate workings of Pellinore Warthrop and realized that at one point he was a sad, lonely little boy just like himself. Perhaps that is what caused him to become so cold and distant as an adult, and maybe knowing this about him will help Will Henry accept him for who he is.