Unless we can get some optimism into him, he'll probably start this all over again when he gets on his feet.

That's the way it goes.

But between us, we'll have him writing books some day.

That's one of the troubles with young folks: they take themselves so seriously.
He probably imagines himself to be a thousand times worse off than he actually is.

Youth finds it pleasant sometimes to be melancholy.
Disappointed puppy-love, and all that." "Puppy-love." "A young fellow who thinks he's in love, when he has only been reading too much." "Do girls have puppy-love ?" "Land sakes, yes! On the average they are worse than the boys.