Analysis of Jimmy and Bob?

Bob, is the man standing in the doorway.  He is antsy and
nervous evidenced by his smoking.  He also feels a need to engage in a conversation with
the policeman who strolls up to him.  As the reader reads the words that he tells the
policeman, it becomes evident that he is a boasting type of fellow who is confident
about the life he has chosen as a criminal.  He initially left town to find his way
while his friend stayed behind.  He progressed from being a person in the neighborhood
to someone who chose to take the illegal road in life.  He has returned home out of
curiosity and with an intent to brag about his success.  His downfall is that he
believes he can not get caught or he would not have allowed the policeman to see his
face.

Jimmy is the second man who, unknown to Bob and the
reader initially, has become a policeman.  Bob talked about Jimmy not being very smart
but Jimmy progressed into a law abiding citizen who serves the public as a policeman. 
It is ironic that the man who Bob put down is the one who has to make an honest decision
and have him arrested.  Emotionally Jimmy is sad and can not bring himself to arresting
the man he had thought of as his friend.  In the end, he is the smarter of the two who
chose a better life.