Major characters, the protagonist and the antagonist, are at the opposite poles of the plot that creates tension and conflict. The protagonist is expected to be heroic or admired. However, if he needs to earn the love of readers, he will have to perform a more profound act that is worthy of earning it. Similarly, an antagonist who performs an evil act is not surprising because that is what’s expected of them. If he is placed in a situation that demands a moral choice, the level of his villainy will be truly put to the test.

Typical heroic act: Firefighters are called to respond to a burning apartment building. After clearing the building of its tenants, one little girl is still trapped in the inferno, screaming for help from a window. The hero rushes to the scene and climbs a ladder swiftly. With total disregard for his own safety, he saves the girl from the blaze.

This scene reveals the hero’s courage and his actions are expected of him. He will be performing many acts of heroism as the novel progresses. The reader roots for his exploits because he is admired and looks up to him as a role model. But the hero is not necessarily loved and the reader’s feelings for him do not run that deep, all because his actions do not provide enough challenge to his moral fiber.

Typical villainous act: During a well-publicized boxing match, a boxer forges a deal with the mob that he will go down on the fourth round. But he decides to win for the sake of his proud young daughter who is watching in the crowd. A hitman also watches in the crowd, ready to shoot the boxer if he double-crosses the mob. After the match, the hitman blends with the reporters and fires two suppressed rounds at the boxer.

The villainy is expected and does not stir the reader to despise the villain. The hitman was acting according to his given task. It’s what hitmen do. If he doesn’t kill the boxer, he becomes an unreliable assassin.

In both cases, true heroism and villainy are tested when difficult moral choices come into play that will challenge the hero and villain.

The moral challenge for the hero: The firefighter succumbs to alcoholism after his wife left him. He is terminated from duty after he fails to save a child from a burning building when he reported for work under the influence. In one of his drunken fits, he passes by a burning apartment where firefighters have not yet responded. A mother and child are trapped in one of the upper units. He throws away his bottle and rushes inside the building to save the mother and child.

Now the firefighter is heroic because his decision stems from a moral choice and not just bravery, and the reader will love him for it.

The moral challenge for the villain: The boxer decides to double-cross the mob by winning the match instead of taking a fall on the fourth round. As the hitman pretends to be a member of the press who gathers to interview the boxer, the boxer’s young daughter rushes through the crowd and embraces her father. The young girl reminded the hitman of his own daughter and the quality time they shared. He feels sorry that the girl will lose a father, as he discreetly pulls out his handgun and gives the boxer two suppressed shots.

The hitman is villainous to the core and is despicable. He made a moral choice to leave the young girl orphaned. He earns the readers’ hatred to the point that they want him dead too.