That father was truly patient with his son's misunderstanding. This story gave me an uneasy, horrid feeling. The wise man always wins in the end, even in the worst of circumstances. It's so easy to forget what knowledge and experience any one person has, especially older people who have been around for a long time. It's interesting that the story is about human worth, but the father points out the worth of the coffin.
Some people are more concerned about material things than about an old man dying.
I'm glad he made that sarcastic remark at the end. I can't believe a son would do this. Your children someday may do to you exactly what you did to your parents. All bad things that you do will eventually come back to haunt you. The father worked hard all his life to provide for his children.