Sonny’s friend is, like Sonny, an addict in Harlem. The narrator recognizes him because he’s always on the streets asking for money. At the beginning of the story, Sonny’s friend tracks down the narrator to tell him about Sonny’s arrest, and in the course of their conversation Sonny’s friend is able to elicit compassion from the narrator for Sonny’s plight, even though it doesn’t inspire him to reach out to Sonny in jail.