Wow you've really captured the bleakness of the situation perfectly here. "And just maybe, if he is totally honest with himself, it’s because he hopes that if the Doctor ever finds out what he has endured he might be able to look at him again and call him his friend." That sentence made me so sad because it really highlights Jack's feelings and his pain over being abandoned and told that he's 'wrong'. I would love to read a post Valiant sequel to this (you mentioned you might consider writing one in another comment) Thanks for a great read!