In what ways is Bub underestimated? How do you think the insistence of the other characters to refer to him by his childhood nickname might have affected him as he grew up?

In spite of the family's persistently low expectations of Bub, it is Bub who is the most perceptive about Cameron. In what other ways is Bub underestimated in the novel? How do you think the insistence of the other characters to refer to him by his childhood nickname might have affected him as he grew up?

Bub seems forever in the role of the child, to be tolerated yet not taken seriously. And everyone in the family seems to mirror this opinion which just reinforces his behavior.

He was the "surprise" third child of the family and much younger than his brothers, but we have a child like that in our family and she is a dominant personality! I wondered if the book might mention some physical abuse by Carl had resulted in brain damage to Bub. Alternatively, he must have been affected by the fear in the family, and perhaps this caused him to be defensive and at odds with the others. If children are not nurtured and protected by the adults in their lives, they are not likely to grow up with healthy feelings about themselves.

I recall the thought Nathan had that he and Cameron had each other to lean on during the abuse, but that Bub had no one because he was so much younger. Bub had no support through that time. The family seemed to just view him as the "not as capable" younger brother. His mustering plan for the livestock operation was actually good and with a few tweaks would have worked. Yet they didn't give him enough credit to actually try it. He was always discounted.
In regard to the question, did the nickname "Bub" affect him? I'm not sure because there was so much more at play than the name.

I agree that he always seemed to be discounted and tolerated, but never heard. He drank a lot, that's for sure, and when Nathan sees him peeing on their father's grave, I thought that he must have a lot of hatred for his father. His pain was real, and as Nathan said, he had Cameron to help get through the abuse, and Cameron didn't. In a way, he may have been stronger than his brothers because he was alone. It could not have been easy living and working with his brother knowing that Cameron had become just like his father.

It seemed as though he was not even considered worth listening to - he didn't count or matter. As the youngest in a family of so much ego, anger, and abuse, Bub didn't stand a chance. Obviously he has a good mind - was capable of leading in terms of running the ranch - the idea he presented to Ilse was a good one. Also, he is hard working, committed and persistent - made his own land produce and stayed and kept trying to contribute even though he knew the truths about his family and the ranch that others didn't. In spite of all this he was not given credit - almost as though his mother, father, and two older brothers were too busy trying to survive one another and didn't recognize his importance to the family.

I also think that due to his excessive drinking he was not viewed as a serious or reliable person to head up any business decisions or plans. As far as others referring to Lee by his nickname, Bub, it is a very common practice in a lot of families, dysfunctional or not, to use nicknames. But in Lee's case, he did glare at Nathan when Nathan was explaining to Katy why Lee was called "Bub". Lee also stated that "he didn't mind" when others called him Bub. His actions indicate submission to other family members or just not giving a damn to fight it any more.

Bub's amount of anger seemed underestimated by the whole family. At one point Liz said that Bub had been treated a lot worse than the other boys--this point was left to our imagination--but the grave incident, the drinking and Bub's attitude toward everyone seemed to demonstrate real anger. No wonder he wanted to ditch it all--except his way out was more positive than Nathan's.

Bub was lost in the shadow of the "favored son". The nickname was dismissive and he tended to drift in that direction since he was rebuffed whenever he tried to be seen as productive.

I agree with jackieh. I think their insistence on referring to him by his childhood nickname prohibited him from growing up or changing in their eyes which in turn affected his desire/ability to change/grow up. They insisted on referring to him as & seeing him as “Bub”.