You are not supposed to be out here man
In a way, this is the heart of the story. We learn about Thomas' character before this encounter. He never received praise from his father and never feels he quite measures up because of that. No amount of praise can compensate these early assaults on his confidence. When he meets the under-appreciated homeless man, he is ready to see the unrecognized talent. It is perhaps Thomas' own experience which allows him to look past the man's rough exterior and see the value, to see the 'Person' within.
Thank you for sharing this thoughtful story with us. We appreciate that you comment on the stories of other authors.
I so much appreciate your in-depth analysis, it's like you knew where I was driving at with the characters even though I did not completely spell them out due to the short story format.
Thanks for passing by, I'm glad you enjoyed the thought process behind the story :-)