The character in The Wire that catches people’s attention the most is Bubbles.  Bubbles is a troubled man who faces hardships and is very affected by his addiction. The audience sees many sides of Bubbles and they desire justice for him in every episode.  During the beginning of the season, the audience sees Bubbles mentoring his young intern, Sherrod.  Sherrod is a struggling kid and Bubbles takes him under his wing, gives him a place to sleep and provides him with an opportunity to make some money. This relationship is noteworthy because Bubbles is currently troubled by his own issues and addiction. Not only does Bubbles mentor Sherrod, he also re-enrolls him back into school so that he can better his math skills in the hopes that it will make him a more effective businessman on the streets.  A man who has no reason to help a struggling teen does so and it shows great character. The audience begins to have respect for a person who, at first glance, may not have deserved it.

Another relationship that becomes toxic, but entails many respectable underlying characteristics is between Bubbles and Thomas Hauk, aka Herc.  Bubbles agrees to help locate Herc’s stolen camera and help find a witness to Fruit’s murder.  However, the audience sees the relationship unfold when Herc repeatedly lets Bubbles down by not living up to his word. Herc promises to stop the man that constantly harasses and abuses Bubbles. Unfortunately, Herc ignores Bubbles when he calls for help.  However, the worst part of the relationship is how many times Bubbles goes crawling back to Herc because of the promises bestowed upon him.  Herc manipulates Bubbles into agreeing to help him out, yet Herc never once returns the favor.  The most Herc does for Bubbles is bring him some fried chicken and soda, but only because Herc needs another favor.  Bubbles’ faith in humanity is a very respectable characteristic that should not be overlooked.  It shows how much trust he has in people and how willing he is to give someone multiple chances.  The audience sees this when Bubbles takes in Sherrod and gives him an opportunity to make something out of his life. Later, that same notion is evident when Bubbles continues to see the good that can come from trusting a police officer.  Bubbles shows that even though he has a terrible addiction and is treated poorly, he still believes in humanity and all that it may possess.