I really hope those 3 people spend all their time on the sidewalk

I love, love, love how Al aged everyone in today's strip. First guy: Lost his hair, mustache turned white. Woman: Hair turned red; looks like she may be wearing dentures. Second guy: Lost some hair, but actually looks a bit younger (probably because he's farther away). And Dimley? Slightly shorter hair, and, I believe, a single forehead wrinkle.

I'm wondering how much time is supposed to have passed. I hope to God that the top panel isn't supposed to show Dimley at 16, just after he dropped out of high school. I really hope the spectators are just dredging up ancient history. But obviously quite a bit of time has passed between the two panels, which kind of scares me. I do how cigar + suit + briefcase = making it real big.

The moral, as usual, is that the people standing around are idiots. Judge not, etc. Of course, I might be inclined to call someone a dunce if his name is "Dimley." And really, dropping out of high school doesn't particularly reflect well on a person--the question, really, is why did Dimley drop out? But I wouldn't necessarily call someone who made it real big a "genius," either.