In the short story “The Tenth of December” by George Saunders, Don Eber and Robin both act like real heroes. They both reinforce the idea that humans are inherently good, even in their hour of greatest need. Robin is an outcast, bullied at school, with no one to play with. Don Eber, an old man with brain cancer, wants to commit suicide so his family wouldn’t have to take care of his increasingly unstable self. Both are in incredibly unfortunate situations, but once they see someone else in trouble, they immediately try to help. In the middle of his violent game, due to an inner anger, Robin’s Nether loses his coat. Robin immediately incorporates the coat into his game. “It was a rescue. A real rescue, at last, sort of.” Eber was leaning against
