Two lost boys

"Jesus uses the younger and elder brothers to portray the two basic ways people try to find happiness and fulfillment: the way of moral conformity and the way of self-discovery." - The Prodigal God, Timothy Keller

"They both were using the father for their own self-centered ends rather than loving, enjoying and serving him for his own sake. This means that you can rebel against God and be alienated from him either by breaking his rules, or by keeping them all diligently. " - The Prodigal God, Timothy Keller