Some Meditations on the Prodigal Son

What caused the prodigal son to leave? Was it that he wanted to be independent, or merely free from his family, or merely free from the law? I've been contemplating his character for some time now- he may be some sort of existential hero, I think, if seen in the right light. In the original story, of course, the father is the hero. Still, the son has a certain boldness to him, a desire for change, that is far more honest than his brother.
The son practically wishes his father dead; rude, of course, but not pretentious. He blatantly shows who he is, how decadent, how degraded. The older brother has the same base desire as the younger. A good portion of the story details what a hypocrite he is, how painfully hateful. The older brother is the hateful hypocrite, without the either the brutal honesty of the prodigal nor the love of the father.
The father is the happy medium- the Christian medium- both loving, and just, and honest. Which he should be, since he allegorizes God according to the traditional interpretation. The prodigal has some redeeming value in his own right, I feel, and he ought to be praised for his boldness, his acceptance of life. He is closer to the hero, flawed but persistent, seeking to repay what he owes on every count. He is saved by mercy- but he would have settled for less as a consequence of his actions. He is a sort of hero, because he is consistent. He would have been the same man if his father had only made him a servant in the house.
The father is highlighted in the parable. But the prodigal deserves some recognition for his existential essence.