Another emotional conversation

The following conversation between the boy and his father is the most touching and saddening conversation they have had up to this point in the story to me. For a while the boy has been having nightmares but won't speak of them. In this conversation he reveals a little bit about them.

The boy was sitting up wrapped in his blanket.
What is it?
Nothing. I had a bad dream.
What did you dream about?
Nothing.
Are you okay?
No.
He put his arms around him and held him. It's okay, he said.
I was crying. But you didnt wake up.
I'm sorry. I was just so tired.
I meant in the dream.

-McCarthy 154

What makes this so terrifying for the boy and saddening for the reader is that it very well could happen any day. For a while now the father has been sick and only getting sicker. He thinks that he will die any day but does not tell his son that because he doesn't want him to get scared. What is the boy to do if his father dies? His father is the only one who he has known all of his life. Their bond is even stronger because of this crisis they have had to endure together.

McCarthy is very good about touching nerves with just a few short words, in this case "I meant in the dream." The moments like these are what make this story much more of an emotional touching experience.