How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Shadrach smiled at the thing eager face turned up to him. He was mature enough at twenty to appreciate being a hero to a nine-year-old boy. (1.19)
Jethro doesn't just like Shad or fancy his company—the kid thinks Shad is a hero. That's some next level admiration right there. And of course Shad is cool enough to graciously accept the honor.
Quote #2
Jethro loved Bill far and away beyond his other brothers; his mother understood why. "He'd put his hand in the fire fer you, Jeth," she told him once, and Jethro believed her. (1.91)
Shad has some major competition in the hero category. Bill tops the list of Jethro's favorite brothers, and we have a strong feeling that Jethro is near the top of Bill's.
Quote #3
Jethro flushed with pleasure. Shad was like that. He was different. He had book learning and was almost twenty-one; still he could make a ten-year-old schoolboy feel proud as a man. (4.66)
No wonder Jethro adores Shad. Nobody likes being talked down to or made to feel inferior, especially as a kid. So when Shad talks about himself and Jethro as "hungry bachelors" (4.65), it's like he's putting them on equal ground. We'd flush with pleasure, too.