Jesus told this parable to people who were angry that He ate with sinners. The younger son asks for his share while his father is still alive, which in that world is close to wishing him dead. He leaves, spends it all, and ends up feeding pigs and envying their food. Only then does he decide to go home, and even that decision is mixed. He plans to ask for a job.
The father sees him while he is still far off. He runs, which an older man of standing did not do, embraces him before a word of the speech is finished, and calls for the robe, the ring, and the feast. The elder brother stands outside, correct and furious. Jesus leaves the story there, with the door open and the question turned toward the listener: which son are you, and will you come in?
But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
Luke 15:20, RSV-CE