unable to explain to Miss Caroline why he does not have a lunch.

Thus, while both families suffer from the same physical effects of the Depression, they are completely different in not only their sense of decorum and decency but also in how fathers influence their children negatively or positively.

The Ewell and Cunningham families are both poor white families who are prejudiced against African Americans throughout the story. Both families lack formal education and live on the outskirts of town. The children in both families lack adequate clothing, and the fathers of both families have the capacity to harm others. However, the Ewells are utterly nefarious while the Cunninghams are simply ignorant racists.

Despite their many similarities, the Ewells and Cunninghams have dramatically different attitudes and reputations throughout their community. The Ewells are known as the most despicable family in Maycomb and are completely malevolent individuals. The Ewells do not have respect for others, and Bob is a notorious alcoholic who abuses his daughter. Bob collects welfare, hunts out of season, and has never held a steady job in his life. Also, his son is portrayed as a rude, disrespectful child and Mayella is depicted as a manipulative liar.

In contrast, the Cunninghams have an impeccable reputation as honest, hardworking citizens. They refuse to take handouts from anyone they cannot pay back and are extremely loyal to those who gain their respect. The Cunninghams are friends of the Finch family and struggle to make ends meet because of the economic crash. They are relatively respectful, quiet individuals who Atticus thinks are a bit misguided. The Cunninghams are also just individuals and argue for Tom Robinson's acquittal at the end of the trial.

One similarity shared between the Cunninghams and Ewells in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is that they are both uneducated, low class families. They are also both presented as racist families. Other than that, they are mostly presented as character foils, meaning exact opposites.They are especially presented as character foils because the Cunninghams are very hardworking people, whereas the Ewells have never worked a day in their lives. We know the Cunninghams are hardworking people because Walter Cunningham Sr. goes to Atticus for help about his entailed farmland and, as payment, brings Atticus whatever his poor farm is able to produce during the Great Depression. Scout describes the payments Atticus received from Mr. Cunningham in her following narration:

One morning Jem and I found a load of stovewood in the back yard. Later, a snack of hickory nuts appeared on the back steps. With Christmas came a crate of smilax and holly. That spring we found a crokersack full of turnip greens, Atticus said Mr. Cunningham had more than paid him. (Ch. 3)

Since the Cunninghams are such hardworking people, they are also prideful people, and their pride is demonstrated in their refusal to accept charity, despite being poor.In contrast, not only have the Ewells never worked a day in their lives, Bob Ewell lives only off of charity in the form of government relief checks, which he mostly spends on alcohol. In addition, while the Cunninghams are respectful people who value loyalty, just as Mr. Cunningham showed loyalty to Atticus by breaking up the lynch mob, Bob Ewell is a generally evil person, so evil he is willing to try to kill innocent children for the sake of revenge.

The Cunninghams and the Ewells are both poor families in Maycomb. Harper Lee illustrates that the main differences between them are morality, pride, and respect.

The Ewells lack morality and respect for others. They try to take advantage of others for their own gain. Bob spends money on alcohol instead of providing for his family, and his children are left to fend for themselves. He rapes his own daughter and blames an innocent man. Bob tries to kill two innocent children because their father has exposed the truth about him. Bob clearly has no moral compass. The Ewells have a certain pride, though. Burris insults the teacher for telling him to bathe, and Mayella becomes indignant when she thinks she is being mocked in court. People feel sorry for the children, but the family is not respected overall.

The Cunninghams, on the other hand, take pride in their morality. They may be poor, but they do not accept handouts or pity. What they cannot pay for in money they make up for in goods: such as nuts, firewood, potatoes, or chickens. They can admit to mistakes, unlike the Ewells—who merely hold a grudge. For instance, when the angry mob wanted to take Tom from the jail, it was Mr. Cunningham who backed down after Scout's intervention. Although they may not hold a high place in society, the Cunninghams are respected by the community.

The similarities between these two families is that they are of the same socioeconomic status.  That is to say that they are both poor.  They are both often looked down upon by society because of their poverty.  However, a very important difference remains - that of the Cunningham's being "proud people".  Although they are poor, they are proud of what they do have and they are willing to work and pay for services rendered to them.  For example, Mr. Cunnignham pays Atticus Finch in chestnuts because he has no actual money with which to pay him.  He cannot, however, take a "hand out".  The same occurs with his son Walter - he cannot accept "charity" from his teacher.  They are proud people, whereas the Ewells are not. 

The only similarity between these two families is the fact that they are both poor.

The difference is that the Cunninghams are proud people who do the very best they can where the Ewells do not really seem to care that they are poor and, perhaps, even revel in it.

Walter Cunningham comes to school in patched, but neat, clothes.  He will not take charity.

Burris Ewell comes to school absolutely filthy.  He is the dirties person Scout has ever seen and he has lice.  When asked to go home and take care of these problems, he states that he is quitting school, having already "done his time."

The main difference between the Cunninghams and the Ewells is the difference between what is known as  "poor white" and "white trash," or, as Mammy in "Gone with the Wind" termed them:  "buckra."  The Cunninghams are honest and proud, albeit poor.  They do not want someone to give them anything.  For instance, Walter Cunningham is embarrassed by Scout's teacher's attempts to learn why he does not have a lunch, but he will accept nothing.  The Ewells, on the other hand, live as a dysfunctional family in which verbal and physical abuse abounds.  For, Bob Ewell is abusive and lazy; he does not repar anything around his house.  When he sees his daughter making advances at Tom Robinson, he curses her and calls her names.  

Yet, he does not have the decency to refrain from putting any blame on Tom; instead, he delights in doing so simply because he can and he wants to feel superior to someone, at least.  No Cunningham would do such a thing.  Later, Ewell even tries to harm Scout and Jem simply because they are the children of Atticus who has shown his daughter to be a liar about the "rape." Rather than being a character with ethics such as a Cunningham is, Bob Ewell is a despicable character.

The Ewells represent the lowest white class of society. Lee frames this class as people who won't work, and who are stuck in a cycle of self-defeat and welfare status. The old English Ewell actually is evil.

The Cunninghams are the next highest class of society, willing to work, but poor and refusing of charity.

These classes exist to show that there are different types of people morally and according to work ethic. Later in the book Scout and Jem analyze this and come to the conclusion that there should just be one type of folks. Folks.

The Ewells and Cunninghams are both poor. That is the main extent of their similarities. Bob is clearly a racist and Walter Cunningham Sr. does express some of Maycomb's racist tendencies when he goes with the mob to get Tom Robinson at the town's jail. But he is thoughtful enough to persuade the mob to disperse at Scout's uncertain but effective interruption. Unlike Bob, Walter is a hard worker and he is honest. In return for Atticus' legal services, Walter could not pay, so he gave Atticus stovewood and hickory nuts, among other things, and this more than paid Atticus back. 

The Ewells were a disgrace. And because Bob was such a lousy father, who took to drinking and abusing his children, the county allowed him to hunt and trap out of season. When Jem notes this seems illegal, Atticus tells him: 

“It’s against the law, all right,” said my father, “and it’s certainly bad, but when a man spends his relief checks on green whiskey his children have a way of crying from hunger pains. I don’t know of any landowner around here who begrudges those children any game their father can hit.” 

This is also the reason the Ewell children are allowed to skip school. The community doesn't expect Bob Ewell to change so they compromise and look away from what the Ewells do. The community does expect an amount of respectability from the Cunninghams because they've been relatively good citizens.

Aunt Alexandra focuses too much on social class based on family history and income levels. That's why she calls Walter Jr. "trash." She is, of course, being unfairly and unjustifiably ignorant. Thanks to Atticus's guidance, Scout realizes that Walter is nothing like the Ewells. 

Although neighbors, Atticus Finch and Mrs. Dubose are distinctly different.

While Atticus always finds a way to understand other people--"he "climb[s] into [their] skin and walk[s] around in it"--and encourages others with kind words, Mrs. Dubose seems to seize any opportunity to insult. 

Because she lives just two doors down, Scout and Jem must pass her house whenever they go to the business section of Maycomb, and Scout dreads doing so:

If she were on the porch when we passed, we would be raked by her wrathful gaze, subjected to ruthless interrogation regarding our behavior, and given a melancholy prediction of what we would amount to when we grew up, which was always nothing.... We could do nothing to please her. (Ch.11)

Unlike Mrs. Dubose, Atticus focuses upon the positive aspects of a person, and he encourages his children to be kind. For instance, after Jem complains about all the insults hurled at him by Mrs. Dubose, Atticus tells Jem:

"Jem, she's old and ill. You can't hold her responsible for what she says and does." (Ch.11)

Another difference between Atticus and Mrs. Dubose is that she believes in the traditions of the Old South, while Atticus is non-traditional in allowing his children to call him by his first name, something that makes Mrs. Dubose "apoplectic." Mrs. Dubose finds most offensive Atticus's acceptance of the role of defense attorney for Tom Robinson. She hurls one invective after another at Atticus for defending a black man.

Despite all these differences, Mrs. Dubose and Atticus Finch share the value of being an individual who lives and dies by a set of principles. For instance, neither believe in lying and they insist upon maintaining their integrity. Constantly, Mrs. Dubose accuses the children of not telling her the truth: "Don't you lie to me!" Later, in the penultimate chapter of the narrative, Atticus verbally wrestles with allowing Sheriff Tate to place the blame for Bob Ewell's death on Ewell himself, rather than upon Jem, who Atticus mistakenly believes is responsible.

In another instance, Mrs. Dubose, having broken her dependency upon morphine, dies on her own terms, while Atticus accepts his role as attorney for Tom Robinson and conscientiously defends him. 

The characters of Atticus and Mrs. Dubose are similar and different in various ways. The personalities of Atticus and Mrs. Dubose contrast greatly. Mrs. Dubose is an outspoken, unapologetic racist whose predominant character trait is her propensity to insult the Finch family. Atticus is the morally upright, tolerant role model who champions the fight against racial inequality throughout Maycomb County. Atticus goes out of his way to be polite and show respect to his neighbors, while Mrs. Dubose goes out of her way to insult and belittle them. Mrs. Dubose is also terminally ill, while Atticus is healthy. Aside from their many differences, the two characters share similar personality traits. Both characters are courageous when faced with adversity. Mrs. Dubose battles her terminal illness and addiction to morphine intensely, while Atticus remains focused during his unwinnable court case. Both characters have strong views and display integrity. Mrs. Dubose wants to die "beholden to nothing and nobody," while Atticus remains morally upright in the face of ignorance. Atticus and Mrs. Dubose both share a common interest in reading. When Jem is punished, Mrs. Dubose asks Atticus if Jem can read to her. Throughout the novel, Atticus is portrayed as a bookworm who is always reading. Both characters find solace in the pages of books.

Both of these men are rearing children without wives/mothers, also.

Bob Ewell is discriminated against because he is a drunk and does not work a steady job in order to provide for his family.  He also mistreats and abuses Mayella.  The Ewells are low class white people who are discriminated against because they are beneath everyone in town with the exception of the black population.  The Ewells are only above the black community because they are white.  There is no work ethic or honor involved in the judgement.

Atticus is discriminated against based on his representation of Tom Robinson  in the trial.  In hindsight, everyone knows Atticus is chosen because he will do a good job for Tom, an innocent and good man, who will be found guilty anyway solely because he is black.

I would say the most important way they are alike is that they both have to deal with people who clearly hate them.  In Atticus' case, many people in Maycomb think he's a "nigger-lover" and are very vocal about sharing that opinion.  In Bob Ewell's case, people think he's white trash and I think that even he knows that they secretly consider him below the hard-working blacks.  I think that's why he hates blacks so much.

But that similarity leads to the most important difference.  When Atticus feels like the world has turned against him, he continues to do the right thing, even when it's him against a mob and he believes he is going to lose.  He doesn't scramble after some illusion of power.  But Bob Ewell is determined to prove his "worthy" by proving that he has power over others.  He dominates his daughter (and possibly rapes her, which is a clear power play).  He accuses Tom Robinson and essentially gets him killed.  He attacks Jem and Scout, two children who are no match for a grown man.  He wants power, and he abuses others to feel more powerful. 

The main ways that Bob and Atticus are similar are that they are both Southern men, both locally raised, both known in the community, and both defined in part by their families. Both seek to speak for those families. Both are involved in Mayella's fate, and in Scout's (their daughters).The ways that they differ are numerous. They differ in ethics, work habits, education, position in community, manners, level and type of honor, attitudes towards race, etc.

Lee presents a careful contast between Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell. It is a good thing you mostly need differences, because Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell are not described as having much in common.

Both come from old Maycomb families. However, Atticus comes from a respected family and Ewell comes from an impoverished family that is universally condemned by the rest of the society.

Atticus said the Ewells had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations.

None of them had done an honest day’s work in his recollection. He said that some Christmas, when he was getting rid of the tree, he would take me with him and show me where and how they lived. They were people, but they lived like animals. (ch 3)

Both have a reputation that precedes them. Ewell has a reputation as a drunkard, whereas Atticus has a reputation as a straight-laced, moral man. Ewell beats his children and drinks away with little public assistance money they have. Atticus treats his children respectfully, and Miss Maudie comments that Atticus does not drink.

“If Atticus Finch drank until he was drunk he wouldn’t be as hard as some men are at their best. There are just some kind of men who—who’re so busy worrying about the next world they’ve never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the street and see the results.” (ch 5)

By contrast, the Ewells are described differently.

Every town the size of Maycomb had families like the Ewells. No economic fluctuations changed their status—people like the Ewells lived as guests of the county in prosperity as well as in the depths of a depression. No truant officers could keep their numerous offspring in school; no public health officer could free them from congenital defects, various worms, and the diseases indigenous to filthy surroundings. (ch 17)

While Ewell is an obvious racist, Atticus has a universal respect for the dignity of man. Bob Ewell seems to have no respect for human life. He is willing to try to kill children to get back at their father.

Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell couldn't be more different in their morals and values. Atticus is what is called inner directed: he bases his sense of right and wrong on a set of moral values he has internalized and that he applies universally to both blacks and whites. While sensitive to his society, he will nevertheless do what he believes is fair and right, regardless of what other people think.

Bob Ewell, on the other hand, is outer directed: he bases his behavior on what he can get away with. He primarily cares about what other people think, and especially, about maintaining his culture's racial divisions between white and black. Just about the only way he can achieve self worth is to feel superior to blacks, and he will lie and hurt another, innocent person in order to maintain racial barriers and his own sense of superiority.

Atticus has a very strong moral compass and feels secure and good about himself. Ewell has next to no moral compass. Their "whiteness" is a shared trait, but they have very little in common.

When it comes to morals and values, Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell are quite different in To Kill a Mockingbird. One way to gain an understanding of each character's morals and values is by examining their reactions in the context of conflict. For example, when Scout is questioning Atticus about defending Tom Robinson, Atticus explains his reason by saying, "if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town." Most importantly, he ends with, "I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do something again." His words provide evidence that he values practicing what he preaches and setting an example for his children. Atticus feels that while it is the difficult thing to do, defending Tom is the right thing to do. Atticus does this in spite of what it may do to his reputation.

In contrast, consider Bob Ewell's reaction to what Atticus says in court. Atticus, in his closing testimony, explains that Mayella was beaten by someone that "led almost exclusively with his left." By indicating that Tom could not have been the one to beat Mayella, Atticus effectively insinuates that Bob Ewell did. Although Tom is found guilty by the jury, Bob Ewell's credibility and pride are damaged. He threatens Atticus and spits in his face, an action that Atticus says he would take so that Mayella wouldn't be the target of Bob Ewell's anger. While both men face adversity, Atticus Finch's actions are a result of integrity and Bob Ewell's are a result of a lack of integrity.

Atticus Finch is the morally upright character in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, and Bob Ewell is his foil. These two characters have contrasting morals and values. Atticus values education and moral development. He believes in equality, justice, and tolerance. Atticus courageously defends Tom Robinson in front of a prejudiced jury and displays integrity in multiple scenes throughout the novel. He keeps his "cool" in adverse situations and does not react with anger when community members threaten and insult him for defending Tom. Atticus also believes in humility and hard work.Atticus values the truth and never lies to his children or the community members of Maycomb.

Bob Ewell is the novel's antagonist who attempts to kill Scout and Jem. Bob has no morals and is the most disgraceful character in the novel. He is willing to go to extreme lengths to get revenge, and it is even suggested that he sexually molests his own daughter. He values his reputation and reacts with anger after Atticus reveals he was responsible for beating his daughter. Bob's bruised ego is his motivation to "get even" with everyone who wronged him during the trial. Bob values traditional Southern ideas of white supremacy, which is why he assaults his daughter after witnessing her seduce a black man. Bob obviously does not value his children or education. He leaves Mayella to raise the children and does not care that Burris doesn't attend school.

This is an interesting question, because most people wouldn't even consider that Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell are similar. Their differences are many: Bob Ewell is racist and close-minded, poor, and violent. Atticus Finch is open-minded and always wants to do the right thing.

I would say that their similarities lie mostly on a superficial level. They are both white men who live in a southern town in America during very racist times. It is interesting to see that these similarities don't do anything to make them similar in character whatsoever. Thought they live in the same town, they do not share similar values as far as what is right and how people should be treated.

Beyond superficial similarities, Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell are similar in character in very few ways. One similarity, however, is that they are both human, and therefore both have weaknesses. Bob Ewell's weaknesses are perhaps more evident than Atticus's. Bob is poor and cannot provide for his family. Many of his actions against Tom Robinson could be a result of his desperate attempts to hold on to some of his pride. He wants, if nothing else, to have power over this black man who has done nothing wrong to him.

Atticus has weaknesses as well, but they may not seem quite as clear as Bob Ewell's. One of his weaknesses is that he wants to do what is right, sometimes to a fault. When Jem and Scout are attacked by Bob Ewell near the end of the novel, Atticus and the sheriff discover that it was Bob Ewell who saves them. At first, Atticus is determined to tell the truth, because he thinks this is what is right. What he doesn't realize is that he would be hurting the man who saved his children's lives. This is a weakness that Atticus has that makes him seem less perfect than readers may have otherwise thought, which actually serves to give him more depth as a character.

Bob Ewell and Atticus Finch are vastly different characters in the book To Kill a Mockingbird.  They do, however, have a few things in common.

-  They were both born and raised in Maycomb County, Alabama.  Bob Ewell's family "had been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations" (Chapter 3).  Atticus Finch had been born and had grown up at Finch's Landing, not far from the town of Maycomb.  He had moved out of the country briefly as a young man before returning to settle in Maycomb.

-  They are both fathers.  Mr. Ewell's children are Burris, Mayella, and several others.  Atticus Finch's children are Scout and Jem.

-  They are both widowers.  Both of their wives had passed away years before.  Both men did not remarry.

-  Both men are well known around Maycomb, though for different reasons.  Bob Ewell is known for being lazy, law breaking, and a drunkard.  Atticus is known for being a respected lawyer who is a wise man and a good neighbor.