In The Old Man and the Sea, what kind of relationship does the boy have with the old man?

Manolin and Santiago have a loving, mutually respectful relationship. Manolin, the boy, has fished with Santiago since he was five years old. Santiago taught him everything and more about fishing, and allowed him a level of independence that other fishermen did not give to their younger colleagues. Santiago and Manolin share a mentor-student relationship, with deep elements of friendship. As time goes on, and Santiago becomes more dependent, Manolin helps provide for him by bringing him food and bait for fishing. Most importantly, Manolin is sensitive to Santiago's pride and his need to pretend nothing has changed. For instance, every day they both pretend that Santiago has food, and that things are the way they were before by going through the following routine:

“What do you have to eat?” the boy asked. “A pot of yellow rice with fish. Do you want some?” “No. I will eat at home. Do you want me to make the fire?” “No. I will make it later on. Or I may eat the rice cold.” “May I take the cast net?” “Of course.” There was no cast net and the boy remembered when they had sold it. But they went through this fiction every day. There was no pot of yellow rice and fish and the boy knew this too.

Major elements of their relationship are their love for each other, their mutual interests (fishing and baseball), their mutual support, and shared history.