compare and contrast the characters of jackson and stephen as reveal in the lesson ?

Mr. Jackson was an experienced senior prison officer on the D-wing of the prison-house. He had a string of Second World War medals on his coat. He was stern and yet compassionate. This is reflected when he allows Evans to keep his lucky bobble cap and wishes him good luck even though he hated Evans and thought it to be a good thing if someday Evans while shaving cut his throat and bled to death.On the other hand, Mr. Stephens was a muscular surly-looking man who was newly recruited and wanted to impress his seniors.

Jackson had an air of authority about him as he was senior to Stephens and thus, was the officer with whom the Governor communicated the most of all the prison officers. Jackson tried to be very careful about his job. He ordered Stephens to be equally alert and notify him if he found anything strange at all about the entire examination episode as it was Stephens who was to keep a check on the prison cell when it went on. Stephens on the other hand, was usually competitive towards Jackson as, though Jackson was his senior, it bothered him that the Governor gave all the duties to Jackson. He was very pleased when the Governor wanted to talk to him and when he was given the duty to take McLeery back to the front gate directly by the Governor.

However, both of them were very ignorant. Jackson despite being experienced could not make out that it was not the Governor who had called when Stephens was called to the phone. Moreover, he let Evans take advantage of his compassionate nature despite knowing that he had somehow managed to run away from the prison thrice. He could have atleast checked his cap and his head before allowing him to carry it. Stephens, on the other hand, missed a lot of opportunities to catch Evans in his plans. He missed to notice the actual reason behind the parson's keeping his finger in the peculiar way and also completely ignored the possibility of suspicion when he found Evans wrapped in the dirty blanket. He had found his own explanation very valid and did not even mention it to Jackson. Being new and knowing that it was a sensitive case he could have given details of the slightest of changes which might have helped them to hinder Evans' plans at the very start.