Mr. P really cares for Junior despite getting hit in the face with a textbook that Junior threw at him. Here we see Mr. P confiding in Junior that he (junior) has to leave the rezervation. He truly wants Junior to become something. He thinks Junior is too intelligent to waste his life on the reserve.
"And you're a bright and shining star, too," he said. "You're the smartest kid in the school. And I don't want you to fail. I don't want you to fade away. You deserve better."
Junior is touched by this and looks at Mr. P in a new way.
