On the other hand, a few instances have shown that Red still cares about Eric, and it is clear that Red's being hard on him is Red's way of trying to toughen Eric up to prepare him for the real world (he once stated that, as Eric's father, it was his job to make Eric a man, "which he's not"). Red once told Eric, "I love you", but he was drugged after a visit to the dentist. After Eric later said it back and some awkwardness ensued, Red said that you should only say that when you're drunk, dying or in trouble—"Otherwise, it's just a given".