In many ways, these two men are presented as opposites. Atticus is a genteel, dignified, educated man who treats everyone he meets with courtesy and respect. Even though his children view him as "feeble" early in the book, they begin to develop a deep respect for him as he courageously faces the challenges and dangers of defending Tom Robinson. He comes across as a somewhat indulgent father--not many kids in 1930s Alabama would have called their dad by his first name--but he is full of wisdom, constantly attempting to instill his young children with tolerance and respect for their fellow human beings. If the story of To Kill a Mockingbird is told through the eyes of young Scout, she herself tries to make sense of the events surrounding her by appealing to the wisdom of Atticus. He is a thoroughly sympathetic figure in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Bob Ewell, on the other hand, is portrayed as a ne'er-do-well, living off of relief checks while largely neglecting his children. Mayella, Tom's alleged teenage victim, is essentially responsible for taking care of her younger siblings while Bob drinks. They live in a hovel next to the town dump, and the children survive off of the refuse they can find there. Yet Bob is also a virulent racist, freely stating his perceived superiority to the town's black community, which he ludicrously alleges in the trial is driving down his property values. It is clear that it is Bob who is guilty of punching Mayella in the eye, but the two testify that Tom actually committed the crime during his alleged rape of Mayella. Bob is consistently course and disrespectful throughout his testimony, and Scout has the utmost contempt for him, even as she seems to feel somewhat sorry for Mayella. So in short, Atticus is a good, if imperfect father while Bob is a terrible father, not even worthy of being described as a father at all.
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