No, no, I get what you mean. "Ineffectual" is a good word for it.
He does get affection and approval -- a lot of it from the Nation, which I think goes far to sustaining him -- but my point is that it's never enough.
"Desperate" is also a word I use a lot.
He's definitely making a connection with the baby, and that's going to be important. And he loves Jon, and is constantly reaching out to Jon. These emotions aren't destroyed by the walls, but as long as the walls are in place they can never be fully realized. (The Jon connection gets the most work during State of Grace, so you'll see what I mean in practice.)
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He does get affection and approval -- a lot of it from the Nation, which I think goes far to sustaining him -- but my point is that it's never enough.
"Desperate" is also a word I use a lot.
He's definitely making a connection with the baby, and that's going to be important. And he loves Jon, and is constantly reaching out to Jon. These emotions aren't destroyed by the walls, but as long as the walls are in place they can never be fully realized. (The Jon connection gets the most work during State of Grace, so you'll see what I mean in practice.)