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Jim Kidd’s name echoes his youth and suggests a certain lack of wisdom and maturity. In spite of some clever-sounding arguments and good people-reading skills, he defers to stronger people like Scallen and Charlie Prince. At the hotel, Kidd demonstrates his shrewd thinking when he hints at offering Scallen an out. He says Scallen can let him go, head back to Bisbee, and get safely home to his wife and children. It remains ambiguous whether Kidd actually has sympathy for Scallen as a family man, or whether he is offering Scallen a chance to leave solely so that Kidd can escape. But his offer reveals key aspects of Kidd’s own worldview, which prioritizes money and ease over discipline, hard work, and honorability.

Kidd’s surprise when Scallen saves him from being shot by Moons and his puzzlement that Scallen is still going to take him to jail after all that reveals a genuine naiveté on the part of Kidd. He simply cannot believe someone would turn down easy money and safety for the thanklessness of a steady job. Yet, Scallen’s behavior gives him pause, which indicates that Kidd may be redeemable if given the chance. Kidd’s unexpected admiration for Scallen reveals itself when he warns Scallen of the presence of the rest of his posse at the train station and tells Scallen to run away before he gets shot. At the story’s end, after they’ve escaped from the gunfight, Kidd is impressed. His demeanor is almost that of someone looking up to an older brother and hints that, despite his current degeneracy, there is still some hope that Jim Kidd may learn from his mistakes and grow.

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