for whom does rabbi eliahu search?what does elie remember, after he leaves ?

Rabbi Eliahu had been searching for his son. Elie recalls seeing his son in the line/column,

"A terrible thought crossed my mind: What if he had wanted to be rid of his father? He had felt his father growing weaker and, believing that the end was near, had thought by this separation to free himself of a burden that could diminish his own chance for survival."