Ah, Faramir...sigh. That's enough silliness.
One thing I immediatly noticed was the difference between Faramir and Boromir. Now that we get to know Faramir better we see that he doesn't want the ring at all. Boromir however, had to struggle with himself because of his lust for the ring.
Therefore, Faramir seems more confident then his brother. He didn't have to struggle with lust for power and Boromir did. Doubtlessly this struggle made Boromir very unsure of himself. But upon meeting Faramir I get the impression of a man who is confident about himself and what he has to do. He knows what to do with the task that is given to him,which is to keep Osgiliath of being overrun. He also knows that eventually there is nothing that can be done. This of course causes conflict between him and his father. (but that is later in ROTK)
One of the most obvious differences is the fact that Faramir is more learned then Boromir and that his blood seems to go back to the Numenoreans. That is another reason why I like Faramir so much. He is far from ordinary and as has been said earlier he would be a great steward for Aragorn.
In this chapter Frodo and Sam have to cope with the news that Boromir is dead. Of all the members in the fellowship they are the most ignorant of the goings on because they are cut off from the rest of the world. In Ithillien they are also able to come in touch with the rest of the world before they enter Mordor. It must be agrivating when you don't know what is going on. This is yet another thing Sam and Frodo have to deal with.
I like the fact that Tolkien gives the reader some time to learn more about ME. It just adds so much more depth to the world. Plus its a chance to show off as to how deep he(Tolkien) went into creating this world. These aspects make some people think of LOTR as a historical novel rather than just a fantasy novel.