Character Analysis
Bobby's dad isn't like your typical father. He doesn't freak out and rush Bobby to the hospital when he finds out that his only son has become invisible, and he doesn't ask him about his emotional state. Instead, he goes straight to the scientific aspect of the problem. After all, he's a geeky scientist:
He says," Since we can't all be dreaming this… we must be looking at some kind of visible light anomaly. I've read the research on this kind of thing—I mean, the research on the mathematical theories—but this… this is a phenomenon, an event!"
Such a useful observation. This guy can't help being Joe Physics. It's what he does. He works at FermiLab. That's one of those places where they smash atoms and then take pictures of the bits. Life is one big science experiment for Dad. (1.33-34)
Bobby's dad takes a scientific approach to things because that's how his brain processes information. Because of this, he may seem a little too excited about his son's condition at times, because he wants to figure it out.
But the fact that he has an analytical mind doesn't mean that he's heartless. He cares deeply about Bobby and wants him to be happy, which is why he makes his son promise not to tell anyone about his invisibility—he's super afraid that his son will be taken away and experimented on by the government. Plus, when it comes down to it, Dr. Phillips is willing to serve jail time for his son. If that's not true love, then we don't know what is.