A Lesson From Marty McFly's Grandfather

I just noticed a great example in Back to the Future of how to subtly flesh out a story beyond the page. or in this case the screen. Marty has just been hit by his grandfather's car, when his grandfather yells,

"Hey wait, wait a minute, who are you? Stella, another one of these damn kids jumped in front of my car. Come on out here, help me take him in the house."

This line could have just as easily been something like, "Stella, some kid jumped in front of my car," which conveys the same direct meaning about what's happening in the scene but nothing about what's not happening. Instead, we learn important things about Marty's grandfather, the neighborhood, and the world as a whole. The line tells us that Marty's grandfather may not be the most careful driver, since he has somehow hit more than one kid, but he's also caring enough to take a stranger in for dinner. We're also led to understand that the neighborhood and to some extent the world is a place in which kids often jump out at cars and people help each other when they need it. These are the types of details that might seem trivial at first glance but that contribute a lot of depth and realism to a story.