He thinks more, he finds ways to get out or in to problems, but he can always find a way to get his way. For instance when Tom and Huck saw the murder of Dr. Robinson they made a oath not to tell.
"Tom, we got to keep mum, you know that." Huck says in the 10th chapter after the scene of the crime. But when Tom wants to spill, his friend Huck is their to snap him out, keep him in check, and keep him safe. When he decided that he was ready he went and got his friends and told them all about being a pirate. His friends Joe and Huck. A phase right. They were all cool with it and thought of how they would survive. When tom came home to say he wasnt dead, cause they thought they were dead, he heard them talking and spied. His friends though didnt feel the same and stayed a little bit longer but headed back. So he joined. Still got in trouble for lying and running. But both of his friends were their to tell him how they felt, and being that Tom doesn't usually think before he acts, they tod him how their families might feel. He then seeing what he did went back. Friends to bail you out