cham allows no weakness or insubordination at home, he himself shows considerable insubordination in his work. He leaves Spain under a cloud because of a stunt he pulls; he attacks a corporal as a joke when he arrives at his new post; and his commanding officer clearly thinks little of him except as a pilot. When he takes his new post, he shows himself to be demanding and tough, characteristics he cannot leave at the office. When he plays basketball with his son, he is the same way, demanding perfection, yet petty enough to keep bounding a ball on the boy's head when the boy beats him, an accomplishment the father should admire and praise but seems to resent. In the game itself, the father actually cheats, so desperate is he to remain the best, the leader of the family in all things. When he loses, Meecham explodes first at his oldest daughter and then at his wife, alienating all family members
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