The Little Boy

At first I thought the boy was just talking about the boy he saw but at the very end when the father says goodness will find the boy and that it always has and that it will again I realized the father was talking about his son, and that the the son was possibly asking about himself. The boy probably was asking his father if he will be alright, if he is lost, and expressing that he feels like he is lost. I believe the boy was trying to get reassurance from his father that he will be alright. I do not believe the son purposely used the little boy he saw as a metaphor for himself but the father made it turn out that way when he said his lat few words to the boy. I believe the father purposely said those words to reassure and comfort his son and to make him believe that he is going to make it and live on despite his father not being there.