When Carl Gallagher (Elliott Tittensor) and Chesney Karib (Qasim Akhtar) were framed for murder by a local drug-dealer called Jimmy, the Maguires initially decide to remain aloof from the situation, as it was "not their fight". But Jimmy's increasing cockiness revealed in Shane a sense of justice, when he began to openly speak against Jimmy's aggressive antics before taking overt action. When Jimmy tried to set the Gallagher home on fire, Shane stepped in, as he knew Jimmy was afraid to cross the Maguires. The last straw for Shane was when Jimmy promised to harm the family, including Liam. When Paddy elected to remain uninvolved, Shane and Jamie decided to take the law into their own hands despite their father's wishes, and rounded up members of Jimmy's gang, and brutally interrogated them as to Jimmy's whereabouts. Paddy later showed his face, and endorsed his son's proactiveness. Shane and Kelly have also developed a parental bond with Liam to the point where Liam even calls them mum and dad (albeit in jest) as they put him to bed.