Fathers can play a role, and help, but as you said, you became fascinated with Knights and Chivalry as a little kid. I’m guessing there was some spark in you that would have caught flame, regardless of circumstances. Sooner or later you’d have crossed paths with real men, and realized where you belonged. It’s too bad we can’t bottle the spark, and forcefully inject every pussy like this guy.
In contrast, some people are defective from the day they are born. No amount of quality parenting will fix their selfish self-focus. Just bad seeds.
I think this guy’s call to dad was not for moral guidance, but rather was for practical guidance, like how to avoid getting fired (don’t call the cops), and how to avoid getting arrested (pawn the whole thing off on a supervisor). Dad’s advise was practical, as it would appear Penn isn’t decent enough to fire him, and the Cops apperently won’t arrest him. All in all, it didn’t turn out bad for him at all. which is just a damn shame.
God bless the poor child who saw another adult, thought he might get saved, and then was just left alone to be preyed upon. They should all do hard time, with some really viscious cellmates.
This Thanksgiving, as every year, I'm going to engage in my little personal tradition of watching Scent Of A Woman. This year, and probably for many years from now, I'm not going to be able to see the George Willis Jr. character without being reminded of McQueery and how he ran to his daddy.