Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas

Petey sternly tells Li’l Petey not to call him Papa, as they are clones of each other rather than father and son. Li’l Petey looks crestfallen as Petey tells him this and only agrees to call him Petey when Petey insists that this is his condition in return for saving Li’l Petey’s friends.

For Petey, this is a protective measure that allows him to keep a distance between himself and Li’l Petey. However, the fact that Petey secretly does love Li’l Petey as a son is illustrated when he angrily says to Piggy (who is insulting Li’l Petey), “Don’t TALK About MY son that way!” (171). Furthermore, Petey is obviously distressed when he can’t find Li’l Petey, further illustrating his love for Li’l Petey: “Where’s the kid? WHERE’S LI’L PETEY?” (186). The capitalization, which denotes yelling, illustrates Petey’s rising hysteria and fear that Li’l Petey has been hurt. At the conclusion of Chapter 8, when Petey and Li’l Petey are reunited, Petey comforts Li’l Petey by saying, “Papa’s here” (206), as he holds him close (206). This statement illustrates Petey accepting that Li’l Petey is his son and becoming better at expressing the inherently loving, familial nature of their relationship. The progression of Petey’s feeling about being called Papa shows his growth as a dynamic character, a process that is mirrored more broadly throughout the Dog Man series.