Read the excerpt from "Broken Chain."

Eventually he [Alfonso] grew bored and went outside with an old gym sock to wipe down his bike, a ten-speed from Montgomery Ward. His thumbs were tired and wrinkled and pink, the way they got when he stayed in the bathtub too long.

Why does Soto most likely include the imagery of Alfonso’s thumbs in this passage?

a) to show that Alfonso spends his time doing unimportant tasks
b) to develop the idea that Alfonso cares a lot about appearances
c) to emphasize that Alfonso does not know when to give up
d) to illustrate that Alfonso does not like getting himself dirty