1. Acts like
1.1. faithful member of the community
1.1.1. "He has been a faithful member of First Purchase since he was a boy" - Reverend Sykes
1.2. Honest
1.2.1. "Yes suh, I had served 'cause I couldn't pay the fine." - Tom Robinson
2. Motivated by
2.1. Freedom
2.1.1. "He just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over." - Atticus Finch
2.1.1.1. He is willing to take the risk to escape
2.2. Kindness
2.2.1. She said, "I reckon I'll hafta give you a nickle, won't I? an' I said, "No ma'am there ain't no charge." - Tom Robinson
2.2.1.1. Tom shows kindness here, as he is willing to help Mayella out, without a "charge"
3. Looks like
3.1. Tom's left arm is distorted from a tractor accident, so it doe snot work properly
3.1.1. "...If her right eye was blacked and she was beaten mostly on the right side of the face, it would tend to show that a left-handed person did it." - Atticus Finch
3.1.1.1. Atticus is explaining his thought that because Tom's left arm is broken, there's no way it would've been him who hit Mayella on the right side of her face
3.2. Tom's dark, African American skin
3.2.1. "Tom's black velvet skin had begun to shin, and he ran his hand over his face." - Scout Finch
3.2.1.1. The fact the his skin colour was brought up when describing the sweat on his face, just emphasises the fact that he is different to everyone else, and is seen as less important than everyone else.
4. Textual issues or concerns linked to the character
4.1. The rape case
4.1.1. The way the town blames him for it, even before the trial or any evidence was put against him
4.1.1.1. Tears the town apart
4.2. Poverty due to racial segregation
4.2.1. Much of the black population in Maycomb live close to the town's rubbish dump, including Tom Robinson and his family.
4.2.1.1. Because the black community are segregated from the rest of Maycomb, they are forced to live in worse living conditions. in this example, they are forced to live near the dump, as the whites wouldn't have let them live near them.
5. How others see him or her
5.1. A portion of the town have an equal view on the trial
5.1.1. They hafta try him in public, Miss Maudie," I said. "Wouldn't be right if they didn't." - Scout
5.1.1.1. In this quote, it's clear that Scout views Tom Robinson as equal, and is supporting the public, fair trial.