As explained by the Hughes Brothers, the film itself was made to be the Spiritual Antithesis of Boyz N The Hood, so it's only natural that the protagonists would also be direct archetypes of each other.

Even Evil Has Standards: He doesn't want any collateral damage as he gets revenge on Harold's murderers, specifically children or the elderly.

Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He clearly cares deeply for his grandparents, Ronnie, Anthony, and his friends from the hood.

Chronic Hero Syndrome: Shielding Anthony with his body when Ilena's cousin and his gang shoot at him could've easily increased the risk of Anthony getting shot considering they were clearly aiming at Caine and not Anthony.

The exact moment he turns his life around could arguably be seen during the party at Ronnie's house, in which he denies Anthony the chance to drink beer, like he got to as a child.

Character Development: As he gets into more trouble and his romance with Ronnie develops, Caine starts to realize that the hood isn't as glamorous as he once thought.

Anti-Villain: Caine after a certain point has been completely corrupted by the streets, but he still genuinely looks out for the woman he loves, Ronnie, and her son, Anthony, even committing some crimes specifically to make money for them, even if Ronnie doesn't accept it.Caine is a young man living in the ghetto of Watts, California, recently having graduated from high school.

Menace to society characters