The thing in the story is that Gabriel blames elizabeth and John,almost angrily for not keeping an eye on Roy. It is clearly stated that Gabriel prefers Roy even over his own wife. having that in mind we can say that Gabriel would prefer Roy over John. One states that help to get to this conclusion is the one found on page 850 when it is said: "He ain't got your big eyes for nothing..." Gabriel has no sense for trying to blame Johnnie