Why did Lester think that he and Hinton used to jump in ditches when they walked home from school?

Lester and Hinton remembered the days when they used to jump in ditches when they walked home from school. Lester told Hinton that they did that because they were afraid. They could not see what was coming at them, so they hid. They hid rather than face what was in front of them. Lester told Hinton they were not kids anymore, and they were not afraid. They were not going to hide; they were going to fight. He told Hinton they not going to give up, they would keep fighting for Hinton's freedom.