Quote 64
No one should be alone in their old age, he thought. But it is unavoidable. I must remember to eat the tuna before he spoils in order to keep strong. Remember, no matter how little you want to, that you must eat him in the morning. Remember, he said to himself. (2.88)
The old man distracts himself from his solitude by focusing on the task at hand.
Quote 65
That was the saddest thing I ever saw with them, the old man thought. The boy was sad too and we begged her pardon and butchered her promptly.
"I wish the boy was here," he said aloud and settled himself against the rounded planks of the bow and felt the strength of the great fish through the line he held across his shoulders moving steadily toward whatever he had chosen. (2.93, 2.94)
The old man wishes the boy were there in order to share the experience, as he has done in the past.
Quote 66
Aloud he said, "I wish I had the boy."
But you haven’t got the boy, he thought. You have only yourself and you had better work back to the last line now, in the dark or not in the dark, and cut it away and hook up the two reserve coils. (2.101, 2.102)
The old man distracts himself from his solitude by focusing on the task at hand.