Louie's connection to Tom Outland

 During the course of the novel, we see Louie attempting to gain the Professor's approval time and again, and over time he has more and more success with that. But over time we see that Louie isn't just looking to please the Professor, he's trying to fill the void left by Tom Outland's death. When reminiscing on Tom's early days in Hamilton, the Professor thinks of how he would leave them "princely gifts" even though he had so little himself. For Mrs. St. Peter he gave an earthen jar some centuries old, and for Kathleen and Rosamond he gave pieces of turquoise fresh from the earth, and this was just after he had met the family. On page 141, when the Professor has decided to decline the invitation to a summer abroad in France, he describes the invitation being "princely," a description that was only used in connection with Tom. Additionally, on page 144, Louie actually puts on the purple blanket Tom had left for the Professor when he left for war. This word choice over the descriptions of certain generosities given by the two men and Louie's trying on a blanket that was one of Tom's belongings seems to suggest that they are connected both to Rosamond as lovers and to the Professor as sons, though Louie still seems to be trying to fit himself into that role. It seems that he succeeds when the Professor is described as the "vanquished father-in-law"(149).