'It was idiotic to think that any 17 year old, and especially Tommy, would behave responsibly in a beach house without his father or mother there.....'
Which he then multiplied by cleaning it himself!
I agree, when a son is this age and this spoiled, (and especially with the father refusing to do the heavy lifting of parental authority), I don't see any other alternative than the marines.
The kid may be too far gone even for that. The Corps can do a lot to mold boys into men, but they've got to have something to work with.
Sounds like this kid is a lost cause.