How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
I was not unused to this odd isolation in his company, but had yet to become accustomed to the effect it had upon me: There is no loneliness more profound, in my experience, than being ignored by one's sole companion in life. Whole days would pass with nary a word from him, even as we supped together or worked side by side in the laboratory or took our evening constitutional along Harrington Lane. (4.69)
If Will Henry were truly alone maybe he could gain a sense of independence that he could revel in. He could seek pleasure for himself, or at least something that gave him peace of mind. Instead, though, he is stuck feeling invisible with a companion who can't even bring himself to acknowledge his very presence. That stinks.
Quote #5
I wish you would write to me. Letters arrive every week from America, and I stand in line with the rest of my classmates, and every week I wait for my name to be called, and every week it is not. I am not complaining, Father, and hope you do not take this awkward confession as such. I am quite lonely at times and do not feel entirely at home here. When not in class I mostly keep to my room, and sometimes, like today, when it is cold and cloudy, refusing to rain or snow but remaining dismal withal, as if a shroud lays upon the world, I am very lonely. A letter from you would brighten the gloom, for as you know I tend toward that familial disposition of dourness. (5.48)
This sad little glimpse into Pellinore Warthrop's lonely childhood helps explain why he is so distant all the time. As a kid he was forced to harden himself, to lower his expectations of his loved ones until he stopped depending on anyone else at all. Now that Will Henry is in his shoes, he is either blinded to Will's needs or unsure of how to express normal feelings of affection. You know, because no one ever showed him how.
Quote #6
His father rejected his entreaties, so he rejected mine, and I—in the strangest twist of all—was him, the isolated and lonesome little boy seeking approbation and acceptance from the one person from whom it mattered most. It offended his pride and doubled his anger: anger at his father for ignoring his need, anger at himself for needing anything in the first place. (5.90)
So it's an awful cycle of loneliness, perpetuated by Dr. Warthrop's pride and his inability to admit weakness. And Will Henry is the unfortunate victim.