how awful to be in Ralph's place and to know that one is valued, in the end, as a body.

I see Ralph's self-doubt as symptomatic of his feelings of loss and self-doubt related to the injuries and loss of his career. At some level he does know otherwise; but when he is feeling low he falls back to this self-doubt. And then I could shake Laurie for puttin him through it.

I like Andrew but he is an 18 yr old debutante who is all too absorbed in his own views, and Ralph is a mature adult. Andrew may well grow up to someone pretty special but as he is now? I take Ralph any day!