Comment on the old man's attitudes toward the sea, its creatures and his own life.

Santiago loves everything about being a fisherman.  He has
great respect for the sea as well as the creatures that inhabit it.  He does not, of
course, love every one of the creatures of the deep (as we see when he battles the
sharks); he does, however, have respect for them.

We know
he respects these things because he understands them and knows their habits intimately. 
He knows the taste and qualities of tuna; he knows each kind of shark by name and
description; he knows the patterns of a fish which has been hooked; he knows the signs
of the weather and the tides.  Even in his worst moments, being dragged out to sea and
waiting interminably for the fish to surface, he is never angry at the creation for
doing what it was created to do.

The most compelling
element of the novel which demonstrates Santiago's love for these things is the fact
that he calls this great fish his brother.  Though he is on a mission to catch (and
thereby kill) this fish, he treats it in his mind with dignity and respect.  And, since
he calls it brother, he must feel as if he, too, is somehow like that
fish. 

Santiago has lived a long time being good at what he
does; the fish, too, has lived a long time to have evaded capture and grown to such a
size. The fish is free, but he is also a creature of habit--just like Santiago.  They
are both destined for this fate: Santiago to fish and his brother to be
caught.

It's clear Santiago is a man who is more at home on
the water than in his actual home.  Both are places which provide little in the way of
comfort, yet he is more alive and happy when on the water seeking his elusive
brothers.