When he walked out into the lots to catch his horse, he felt grown and complete for the first time in his life.

It seemed to him harder, as he got older, to find a simple way of life.

Saying everything is okay doesn't make you a grown-up.

Telling an adult to go see something for themselves always works. They never take your word for it. They always, always, have to go see, and Hungry was no different.

Only children believe they're capable of everything.
They're trusting and fearless; they believe in their own power and get exactly what they want.
When children grow up, they start to realize that they're not as powerful as they thought and that they need other people in order survive.
Then the child begins to love and to hope his love will be requited; and as life goes on, he develops an ever-greater need to be loved in return, even if that means having to give up his power.
We all end up where we are now:
Grown-ups doing everything we can to be accepted and loved.

They never say to you, 'What does his voice sound like? What games does he love best? Does he collect butterflies?' Instead, they demand 'How old is he? How many brothers has he? How much money does his father make?' Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him.