Lazlo Farnsworth

Lazlo Farnsworth is a bully from Whit and Wilson Knox's boyhood. He calls young John Avery Whittaker "Dim-Whittaker" and surrounds himself with boys willing to follow his threats. After a bicycle fender is bent, Lazlo demands a beating and targets Jack Allen. Whit offers to take his friend's punishment instead, but Wilson, then a member of Lazlo's gang, makes an even greater sacrifice. He orders both boys released and accepts the beating himself. Lazlo's cruelty provides the test through which courage and loyal friendship become visible. Decades later, Wilson tells the story while teaching about sacrifice, finally giving Whit the chance to thank the boy who once stood against his own gang to protect him.