Internal Conflict

"that's not really what's bothering me.  It's really something else altogether.  I just keep thinking about it all the time.  About Miss Lucy." - Never Let Me Go, page 107.

This quote by Tommy is a perfect example of the literary device of an internal conflict.  As the reader, I knew something was up with Tommy from the times when he stalked off after Laura noticed some mud on his pants and when he marched off after Kathy tried to show him Patricia's calendar.  Kathy, the other characters, and I believed it was because he and Ruth broke up.  Then he told Kathy that it was because Miss Lucy came to him and corrected herself, saying art was important.  What?!?!  I am so confused now.  Miss Lucy was about the only guardian who seemed sane at Hailsham.  She seemed to be the only one who believed Tommy was great even without being artistic.  Maybe this is also something that was bothering Miss Lucy (therefore Miss Lucy, too, was dealing with an internal conflict).  Maybe the whole time she was rethinking what she told Tommy and just now she decided to talk to him about it.  I still do not truly understand why being an artistic person would be such a huge deal especially since we all know that these students will only end up donating their organs and won't have to do anything further with their lives.  Just as Miss Lucy had said before, their lives are already predetermined so none of these kids will even become artists anyway.  Hopefully I will get an answer about this question later in the book as well.