The father is supposed to earn this respect by caring for the son and educating him, but this doesn't mean that a son has the right to disrespect a neglectful father. Ideally, though, both the father and the son will act accordingly. The son will respect the father, and the father will act respectably. Ultimately, the goal of both father and son is to be a superior man, chunzhi in Chinese. If all men strive to be chunzhi, the society as a whole will run smoothly. This idea applies especially to the emperor, who is like the father to the whole country. It's time for the open letter?