While discussing the same memory, Sam brings up the time when Hally walked in on him having sex. Hally says, "Like that time I barged in and caught you and Cynthiaat it. Remember? God I was embarrassed! I didn't know what was going on at first" (26). Hally reiterates the excessive amount of time that he spent with Sam by explaining that he walked in on Sam with a woman. If Sam and Hally were not such close friends, Hally would have knocked on the door before going into Sam's room. Because they were very close, Hally thought knocking on Sam's door was unnecessary. Instead of having "The Talk" that every boy has with his father, Hally had to learn about mature activities from Sam. Sam had to teach Hally about the things in life that his biological father failed to teach him as he was too busy with his own problems. From the Boarding House memory, Hally explains the amount of time that he spent and information learnt from Sam. .
Another time when Sam is portrayed as a father figure or close friend to Hally is when the two reminisced the kite. After Sam reminds Hally of the time when his father was passed out at the bar, he tells Hally why he made the kite. Sam says, "That's not the way a boy grows up to be a man!But the one person who should have been teaching you was the cause of your shame. If you really want to know, that's why I made you the kite. I wanted you to look up, be proud of something, of yourself" (58). Hally's father did not have time to teach his son how to mature into an adult because he was too busy with his own various shortcomings. Sam shows that he cares for Hally like a great friend or even a family member because when Hally was depressed and ashamed of his father, he was there to make him feel proud again. In the beginning of the book, prior to any hostility, Hally tells Sam that this was his favorite memory. Hally said about the kite, "I was so proud of us! It was the most splendid thing I had ever seen.