" he whispers to the professor "You were wrong." and he smiled that he finally said it all these years to his face."

Very fine kicker. You closed it with elegance after a well built moment of existential musings. I like the contrast between the professor, stuck in his academic world made of abuses, and Luke who evolved in time - not without sacrifices and a submission to the status quo - showing compassion and the capability to break the vicious circle of power.