Read the excerpt from act 4, scene 3, of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. How does the characterization in this passage connect to its central idea? The two men continually make jokes about each other, which shows that they are not loyal to each other. Brutus and Cassius’s honest sentiment and humor reflect the central idea of the importance of friendship. When Cassius says he has inherited his temper from his mother, he suggests that he is not in control of his own fate. Learning that Brutus knows Cassius’s mother gives the audience a deeper understanding of the strength of their friendship.