Thoughts on Losing Family from Life of Pi

Thoughts on loss from Yann Martel's Life of Pi:

"...to lose your brother is to lose someone with whom you can share the experience of growing old, who is supposed to bring you sister-in-law and nieces and nephews, creatures to people the tree of your life and give it new branches. To lose your father is like to lose the one whose guidance and help you seek, who supports you like a tree trunk supports its branches. To lose your mother, well, that's like losing the sun above you..."