The father-daughter relationships in Tom Jones is not one of Hallmark cards. IT's not as if the relationships are bad or abusive, but rather, they are just distant. Think about Squire Weston, and his relationship with his daughter Sophia. While he loves his daughter, he shows that he loves other things more, especially money and hunting, and quite possibly liquor. When Sophia runs away from home to avoid marrying Blifil, Western goes after her but gives up his search for her when he runs across a hunting party and decides that it is too nice a day to forgo a hunt. Rather than search further for his daughter, he gives up, because something better comes along, its more of an apathetic relationship.