Todd is forced to deal with his passions knowing they will never give him the covering and comfort he needs.
Todd was the most upset and emotional of the group after Neil's death, which is ironic because Nwanda and Knox were the romantics, so they might be expected to be the most upset. They, however, remained calm, not fully understanding why Neil would have committed such an act. Todd did - he remembered his poem, and he was left cold and exposed in the snow - just the way he predicted it in his poem. At that moment, he realized exactly what Neil was facing the moments before his death. The romantics present couldn't understand because up until that point nothing especially bad had happened because of their passion. The realists present couldn't understand because they under-emphasize their emotions and would rather rationalize the situation than experience it. .
Todd proves his loyalty to Keating by stand up to Cameron's accusations of Keating. At that point, Cameron had been "deprogrammed" by the school, yet Todd is able to express his opinion that Cameron and the traditionalists are wrong.
Todd was also the last of the five to sign the confession implicating Keating in Neil's death. He feels incredibly guilty that he's done so, and to show his loyalty to Keating, and that Keating actually taught him something valuable, he is the first to offer an explanation to Keating as to why they all signed the confession. He then stands on his desk and says, "O Captain! My Captain!" to prove that he does have a verse to contribute. .
It is this last scene that sets him apart from Neil. Neil was very much romantic, but Todd didn't base his life on those principles. Todd started out a realist, believing that he didn't have a verse to contribute, unsure of his own worth, and unable to express his true thoughts and emotions. Neil, like Todd, also wanted very much to have a verse, and was unable to express his true thoughts and emotions except by living another's role (i.
