In this excerpt, two characters reflect on their past meeting at Midculter, where they first encountered each other when one was a boy. There is a noticeable difference in their personalities and appearances, suggesting a contrast between them, as one mentions that the other is unlike his brother.

"We met once when you were a boy, at Midculter," he paused. "You are not like your brother." Crawford acknowledges the difference and notes that his brother Richard is more flamboyant and less modest in his dress and behavior, unlike himself who appears more subdued and impoverished, hinting at social and personal differences between the siblings.