The first time he chose to leave Rafe in the hospital by himself for two days, not out of neglect, but because his priorities were not in the right order. He chose to go back to camp to look after the other boys. Rafe became very lonely and depressed in the hospital alone and was angry with Bridge for leaving him. Later, on his trip to a sacred part of the mountain he does not allow Rafe to come with him because he thinks he will get more out of it if he goes alone. At the end of the story Rafe takes the trip by himself and dies at the sacred area of a brain hemorrhage. He may have lived if someone had been there to get him help, but he was not found in time. Bridge learns the lesson though, and shows it when he looks forward to talking to someone he has left behind. He could not wait to see Viemme again. She was a female friend of his that he had been away from for a long time. .
Bridge held Rafe in the highest of regards. He thought about him constantly during the duration of the camp. He saw something spectacular in the boy, especially in his dancing. Bridge firmly believed that "no other male dancer. lorded the common air with a nobler strength" (145) than Rafe did. He also was amazed at the boys intellect and wit. "(Rafe's) random knowledge was always ambushing (Bridge's) expectations." (151) Bridge was a spiritual person and believed that God had given him his ability to paint and draw. He kept a special notebook in which he kept only his religious artwork, mostly of angels. He thought so highly of Rafe that he wanted to draw him as an angel in his notebook. He also believed that it was no coincidence that Rafe's real name, Raphael, was that of the archangel. He had been painting a picture the whole camping session while the boys watched him. Many of them had rich parents and offered him a lot of money for the painting. But he refused, instead he chose to give the painting to Rafe.
