(8 m) My son's friend - not sure what to do

Hi all, Hoping someone has some good advice for me. To give a little bit of background, we moved this summer, so my 8 year old started a new school. Since the beginning of the year, he has been telling me about the mean things that his classmate, "Mark", has been saying and doing to him. I told him (which I believe is true) that people who act badly are often doing so because they feel bad for whatever reason. I didn't discourage him from defending himself, just tried to let him know that the problem probably isn't him; it's just someone acting out.Well, my prediction seems to have come true. Over the past several weeks, the boy who was initially picking on my son has become friends with my son instead. And he keeps asking my son if he is really his friend, because according to him, his parents keep telling him that he doesn't have friends and will never have friends because no one likes him. My son was quick to tell him that he likes him and is his friend, but also came home to me asking what to do because he is worried about his friend. He says "Mark" is acting very depressed and subdued (my words, interpretting what my son said) and he is really worried about him. So, I know that telling a kid that no one likes him is probably not a crime, so what can I do to help this little boy? via /r/Parenting http://ift.tt/2dOsAnx