Interstellar may have a protagonist who manages to save humanity through the love for his daughter, but cast isn't short on less well-meaning characters. Dr. Mann is revealed to be a crazed madman who refuses to face the bigger picture, while Professor Brand takes it upon himself to decide the fate of every human being on the planet. But at least in those cases it's people working in extreme situations, making decisions well above what one person should be responsible for. More inexplicable is Tom, Cooper's son, who goes from likeable child to sister-hating hick. In the pre-mission scenes Tom plays a rather minor role, being a more by-the-numbers child character to contrast with the ghost-believing Murph. When he's grown up into Casey Affleck (one of the film's "oh yeah, he's in this" moments) things get a little more interesting - he initially keeps up contact with Endurance, but, after a lack of transmission while Cooper is on the hours-into-years planet, he gives up. He loses his first born son and at some point his relationship with Murph deteriorates, to the point where her even trying to help his second son sends him into a fit of rage. Christmas must be awkward. Potential Answer: It has been joked Tom became aggressive out of resentment over how Cooper shows more affection to Murph, but the characterisation is probably built out of more adult concerns. The loss of a son is a life-changing moment and Murph's refusal to return to the farm house, forsaking everything their father did, could easily sour their relationship.
