Of course seeing Kal on his knees in the amphitheater would speak to him, the fresh loss of his human parents. Given the age difference in this verse, with the training they've done, Kal would be more like a Robin to him, as much as his war-torn heart would allow.
I thought of the scene when Bruce comforts Tim after they've discovered Tim's dead father when writing this, so, yeah, there's a Robin dynamic here. Although the age difference isn't that huge - Kal comes across as pretty young, but he's actually 20+ and Bruce isn't yet thirty. Bruce only started his Batman career much earlier because he didn't "waste" time in school.

And now I'm off to chase chapter three!