In dihybrid inheritance, Mendel considered two pairs of contrasting characters. This means that he studied how two different traits, each with two different variations, are inherited together. For example, he studied pea plants that had different colors for their seeds (yellow or green) and different shapes for their pods (inflated or constricted). By studying how these traits were passed down from generation to generation, Mendel was able to develop his laws of inheritance, which are still used today to understand how traits are passed down from parents to their offspring.