Santiago did not seemed to be bothered with what was said. The old man knew that each day it will be a new experience, out there at the ocean and his truly big fish was waiting for him .
Manolin knew that on occasions, the difficult times will come but he believed in the old man. The boy was the old man's helper for a period but, after his parents saw that the old man was unsuccessful they no longer allowed him to sail with Santiago. The circumstances made difficult that the boy and the old man stayed together because after the petition that the boy's parents did to him he went and work with other boat. The relationship between the old man and the boy was one of love, respect and caring for each other all the time. The old man loved Manolin. The boy was the person who gave Santiago support, and encouraged him not just to get up every morning but, to give the old man the faith he needed to go and make an effort and catch his fish. The boy admire the old man for many reasons, one of them was his confidence and love for the sea. He considered the old man as the best fisherman of all the times and he knew that well because the old man taught him to fish when he was very young. The respect they had from each other was intrinsic because they knew all the qualities that the other possess. Manolin was described by the author as a caring person, for all the attention that he gave to the old man since he could not be with him constantly. The boy felt that at least he should take care of the needs that the old man could have. He ensured that the old man was fed, and warm when the cold weather came. Santiago felt good when Manolin was .
around because he did not feel lonely anymore. The time they spent together was enjoyable. They could talked about Santiago's passion, baseball. This sport was for the old man as a way to relax and give himself motivation. His favorite baseball player was "Di Maggio" and through the whole story the old man mention the baseball player and compare to him repeatedly especially in the difficult times.
