Is Reb Saunders becoming sympathetic?

I find that Reb Saunders character changed since chapter eight. He is growing softer. Yet he still gives his son a challenge with memorizing verses from the Talmud. He cares about his son, he believes that his son is his most prized posetion, but Danny doesn't see it because Reb can't talk to his son. Why you ask, well that's a mystery that even I am trying to solve. But at the same time it will be a surprise when we find out later in the book why Reb Saunders cannot talk to his son. Danny doesn't have any conversations with his dad it seems like he is lonely. He believes that Reuven is lucky to be able to conversate with his dad, he thinks that Reuven doesn't know how good his life is. On the last page of chapter ten it discusses how Reuven's father had went into a heart attack and was immediately rushed to the hospital and Reb Saunders had called Reuven to ask him for the time being that his father is in the hospital he can live with his family.