How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)
Quote #1
"He dealt himself one drink Christmas night and another on New Year's Eve. Then that one would also come to me with instructions to pass it on." (22)
Red notices Andy's generosity early on when he buys an expensive bottle of booze and gives most of it to the other inmates. That generosity—which we're betting is pretty darn rare in Shawshank—is the first indication that Andy might make a great friend.
Quote #2
"I never felt really close to Andy until 1960 or so, and I believe I was the only one who ever did get really close to him." (32)
Red gets close to Andy and he's Andy's only friend, but we never really learn why. Red's pretty tight-lipped as a narrator. That means we have to infer certain aspects of their friendship, but it also makes those moments when they express their friendship hit you like a jackhammer. We'll get to some of them in a jiffy.
Quote #3
"How much work went into creating those two pieces? Hours and hours after lights out, I knew that first the chipping and shaping, and then the almost endless polishing and finishing with those rock-blankets." (136)
Look at the subtlety here. Red doesn't say "Andy's a great pal." Instead, he mentions that Andy spends all kinds of time polishing some stones for him. It's the effort that signals friendship, not just "he's a great pal." Way to pick up on the unspoken camaraderie, Red!