Everybody needs people in their lives. We need someone to support us, to guide us and to get us through the hardships the world throws at us. Whether that person is a parent, sibling, or a friend, despite how strong and independent of a persona some let off we all need that one person to act as a parental figure in our life. Pip was not lucky enough to find this off the bat. He never had that father or mother figure with him but whether he saw it or not there was still someone there. Through Joe's actions of support, trust, comfort, and letting Pip know he would always be there for him, Pip looked up to Joe as the father figure he never had.
Throughout Great Expectations, it is shown that Joe has a heart full of love for Pip and supports him and because of this Pip saw Joe as the father figure he needed in his life. Joe continuously shows Pip that he is there for him and supports him throughout the book. One of the examples of this action is in chapter four, during Christmas dinner. As soon as the family sits down, insults are thrown at Pip in a very demeaning manor. On page 25 everyone insults Pip over and over, belittling him more and more each time, and each time this action takes place Joe pours Pip more gravy. This is an act of support, as a way to show Pip that he is there for him without having to say it aloud. Some may say that if he truly wanted to show his support he would have stood up for Pip. But yet sometimes actions speak louder than words and his action gave Pip the support he needed in order to carry on.
Another reason that Joe acted as a parental figure to Pip is the fact that Joe never abused Pip. Seeing as Joe was abused by his father, he could relate to what Pip was going through and never laid a finger on him. Through this action Joe showed Pip that he was somebody that Pip could trust. One can see this is chapter two, when Pip's sister threw Pip at Joe, she was expecting him to participate in the abuse.