Quote 1
"You just want to cut your losses. You're on damage control. You don't give a s*** about Watney's life." (16.196)
Do you agree with Mitch on this one? We go back and forth. On one hand, Teddy does seem to be overcautious about taking risks. On the other, he has good reason to be skeptical: after all, his head will be on the chopping block if things go bad. It's a tough call.
Quote 2
"How long are we gonna keep this from the Ares 3 crew? They all think Watney's dead. It's a huge drain on morale." (8.76)
In our eyes, Mitch is so passionate about this because he's closer to Mark. Mitch and Mark probably hung out a fair bit: after all, Mitch in charge of the Ares 3 mission. Teddy might be able to detach himself from the situation emotionally, but Mitch doesn't have that luxury.