Character Analysis
In the last section of "Winter Dreams," Dexter has become a Wall Street bigwig. Devlin is a business associate from Detroit who mentions that he is surprised to hear Dexter is from Minnesota. Devlin knows someone from Dexter's town – a woman named Judy Simms. Her maiden name is Jones. Dexter is so surprised to hear about Judy from this unexpected source that at first he thinks Devlin is pulling his leg.
Eventually, Dexter realizes that Devlin really is not interested in Judy. In fact, he feels kind of sorry for Judy: her husband, Lud Simms, drinks too much and sleeps with other women.
Although he's only in the story for one scene, Devlin serves a key purpose in the story, which is to deliver the news of Judy's fate to Dexter. This unexpected information from Devlin, and Dexter's strong reaction to it, provides further evidence that Dexter has lost the softer feelings of his youth.