The question to life that McCarthy is attempting to answer is "Is the bond of something as strong as family, the tie between father and son, strong enough to weather such a cruel world?" The Boy and The Man are "each the other's world entire" (6) and will do anything for each other. The Boy keeps the man alive, keeps him from thinking that life is meaningless and that there is no reason to go on. The Boy needs The Man because without him to guide him, he'd surely be lost to the dark, broken landscape. I suppose it's not only a question of is it strong enough, but also of is the world such as this one a way of tightening normal bonds between a father and child. I think that in situations such as this one, a bond needs to be tight, or neither of them would survive this. The Boy keeps The Man leveled headed with all his faith in him, enough to make The Man believe that he needs to be right, for the sake of The Boy. The Man, being the adult, is able to know the way.
Though this world that they live in is harsh, they still have each other to hold on to. This book is a test of their faith and devotion to each other to keep them each, individually, alive.
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