Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
You wouldn't think a story about kidnapping and Three-Stooges-style violence would evoke the term "calm," but here we are. In between all the activity at the cave, the narrator keeps commenting on how calm and serene the world is around them: "a peaceful landscape dotted with one man ploughing with a dun mule" (30). The world is only brought to chaos in the company of Sam and Bill in the story. Johnny is clearly an agent of chaos, but Bill and Sam are its victims, as though it's a tornado or a hurricane. They are simply in front of the deluge and unable to devise a way to outrun it effectively, even though the rest of the world is going about its business as usual. This helps reinforce the idea that these guys brought it upon themselves and that in the grand scheme of things, their misery doesn't really matter. It's a trifle dark and a little depressing, but O. Henry always liked to get his humor from the shadowy side of the street.