[The Boy:] What if that little boy doesnt have anybody to take care of him? he said. What if he doesnt have a papa?
[The Man:] There are people out there. They were just hiding.
[. . .]
[The Boy:] I'm afraid for that little boy.
[The Man:] I know. But he'll be all right.
[The Boy:] We should go get him, Papa. We could get him and take him with us. We could take him and we could take the dog. The dog could catch something to eat.
[The Man:] We cant.
[The Boy:] And I'd give that little boy half of my food.
[The Man:] Stop it. We cant.
He [The Boy] was crying again. What about the little boy? he sobbed. What about the little boy? (132.2-132.12)
In this instance, The Boy's compassion strikes us as a little more complicated than purely unselfish generosity. He perhaps sees himself in this other little boy. When he sobs over him, he's also sobbing over his own misery. Or, seen another way, The Boy has come to depend on his father so much that he can't imagine life without him, so what about this little boy who seems to have no one at all?
The boy lay with his head in the man's lap. After a while he said: They're going to kill those people, aren't they?
[The Man:] Yes.
[The Boy:] Why do they have to do that?
[The Man:] I dont know.
[The Boy:] Are they going to eat them?
[The Man:] I dont know.
[The Boy:] They're going to eat them, arent they?
[The Man:] Yes.
[The Boy:] And we couldnt help them because then they'd eat us too.
[The Man:] Yes.
[The Boy:] And that's why we couldnt help them.
[The Man:] Yes.
[The Boy:] Okay. (194.11-194.23)
The Man teaches The Boy quite a bit in this little exchange. He breaks the news to The Boy that the "bad guys" are going to eat the people they just saw shut in the basement. He also outlines the basic limits of compassion in the novel: you can't help too many people because the "bad guys" will catch up with you. The Boy and The Man have to limit their generosity because of the scarcity of food and the constant dangers on the road. However, The Boy's questioning of these principles keeps The Man honest. We also think it stirs up a great deal of admiration for his son.
He pulled one of the boxes down and clawed it open and held up a can of peaches. [The Man:] It's here because someone thought it might be needed.
[The Boy:] But they didnt get to use it.
[The Man:] No. They didnt.
[The Boy:] They died.
[The Man:] Yes.
[The Boy:] Is it okay for us to take it?
[The Man:] Yes. It is. They would want us to. Just like we would want them to. (210.3-210.9)
This passage outlines another principle in their code of ethics: Don't take things from people unless they can't use them. It really is quite amazing that The Boy, even though he's near starvation, makes sure he does right by other people. Come to think of it, if there's a weak point in his character, it's that he's too conscientious. He seems almost unbelievably saintly at times.