One of the most awkward moments I ever felt in a theater was watching this movie with my father when the boy asks Tom Hanks if he liked Peter better.
Not only is my only brother named Peter but my brother isn't that much younger then Liam Aiken who played Peter (when Road to Perdition was released, Aiken was 12 and my brother was 10)
It felt like I was like watching myself ask my father if he liked Peter Better.
I liked this element of the film a lot as I think many sons, particularly when they're young, believe a sibling is the favoured one and sometimes with good reason. Michael jr obviously reminded Michael sr of himself and that distanced from him quite often, whereas Peter was younger and didn't.
I can relate to Michael jr in this scene.
Sibling rivalry goes almost as far back as snakes and apples, and should be assumed by any parent of more than one child. Long before the question is asked, the parents should be practising the answer. Sullivan's answer was pretty good, and he segues it deftly into articulating his fear that Michael jr. would follow him into a life of violence. In many ways I was reminded of Cal Jarrett in 'Ordinary People', explaining his seeming lack of attention to his son Conrad along similar lines. Both fathers are guilty of hiding their fears from their children, and both may be guilty of preferring one to the other, at least at certain times.
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