Question

In the story we learn how important their friendship was to bob and Jimmy​

Answer 1

Answer:

The fact that both men showed up for their promised rendezvous after twenty years shows that they were once very close friends. However, it does not prove that they are still close friends. They are erstwhile friends. Their friendship is based on the fact that they used to be friends. ...

Jimmy and Bob could not be friends anymore. They are erstwhile friends. Their relationship is based on the fact that they used to be "just like two brothers." The changes wrought by the passage of time is the theme of this story. The whole city has changed, and the two men have changed--or evolved--correspondingly.