Pointing out both similarities and differences between similar things is what

Which revision of this sentence best uses direct characterization?

Isaw my future flash before me and it did not take me anytime to slow down. i need to replace the words "it did".

London includes a quote about john thornton as he is observing hal attempt to motivate the exhausted dogs "it was idle, he knew, to get between a fool and his folly". if the word "idle" is defined as "of no real worth, importance, or significance", what does this statement mean with regard to hal? who is the fool? what is hal's folly? why would john thornton think it of no real worth or useless to intervene?