The protagonists reasoning for his liking sounds like what Socrates (probably to Alcibiades) would say. The prose however is less clinical than Plato. Nice wordy prose aside, the intense obsession he seems to develop for a young boy was quite disturbing. It must say something about this novella if even after squirming at the implications, the prose makes you think and keep you on the edge. Its a wonderful piece of fiction and requires a definite reread as I am unable to come to terms with the thoughts it has raised. 
 (I will be revisiting this after reading Symposium.)