"Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" - James Potter (DH)
Imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" - Draco Malfoy (PS)
Similar yet different!
Quite ironic isn't it? Father of the hero and arch nemisis of the hero have the same line. I don't think it's a coincidence that both James and Draco quote a similar line about a house they were prejudiced against. Both boys were brought up as the only sons in rich pureblood families. Both were undoubtedly spoilt. Both were definitely raised with a house prejudice. Both were definitely arrogant, attention-seeking and self-entitled as a result of their privileged upbringing.
But despite their similarities, there is also a stark contrast between both boys. James was prejudiced against a house that was known to produce the most evil wizards. Draco was prejudiced against a house that was known to produce the least evil wizards.
This showed that James' misguided prejudice was against the house he thought of as evil (which good naturally hates) while Draco's misguided prejudice was against the house he probably thought of as the loser house. Hence the contrast between both boys come out, with James being the plus positive one.
Another contrast between James and Draco is their friends. The only one of James' Friends that Draco would befriend as an equal is Sirius Black. Draco would probably let someone like Peter Pettigew in his gang as a shoe polishing boy to boss around but would definitely not consider him a friend ou equal. Peter was donné equal treatment par James and gang if toi look at him siting with them as equals without being bossed around in SWM.
I don't see Draco befriending Lupin, but even if he does, he most definitely would have dropped Lupin as a friend after he found out about him being a warewolf. Draco clearly has a prejudice against creatures like warewolves and half-breeds like half-giants. His prejudice against half-breed can be seen par his deplorable treatment of Hagrid. James on the other does not montrer such a prejudice. He is never seen interacting with Hagrid, but from Hagrid's account of him, it can be inferred that he was good to Hagrid.
Another significant difference between both James and Draco who come from similar backgrounds is their view of blood purity. James does not hold pureblood supremacy views. He was enraged when Snape called Lily a mudblood, married a muggle-born and fought against a muggle-born prejudice par going against Voldy and gang. Draco on the other hand held pureblood supremacy vues while he was at Hogwarts and used the word mudblood as common as hello.
Both boys had their faults in school. They were spoilt, they were bullies in their own right and were quite nasty to people they didn't like. But both eventually matured and grew out of their faults par their 7th year.
In conclusion, I feel like James and Draco represent the contrast between what a Potter and a Malfoy would be like, growing up in the same background. Both were spoilt, arrogant, attention seeking and self-entitled as most children from their background would be. But inherently, James, the Potter showed inner goodness from the start that Draco, the Malfoy only developed his after his life-lessons. This is definitely due to the differences in their parents as people which shone though their personality. But this is just my opinion.