History Main / MoralityTropes

++ StockAesops

++ ADishonorableIndex

++ {{Villains}}

++ {{Heroes}}

++ KnightInShiningTropes

** RebuiltPedestal: . . . But that was a misunderstanding, and they actually are.
** ReplacementPedestal: You find somebody who inhibits the traits of the person you once looked up to and is actually good unlike the former.

* CIAEvilFBIGood: The UsefulNotes/CentralIntelligenceAgency is villainous; the [[UsefulNotes/AmericanLawEnforcement Federal Bureau of Investigation]] is heroic.

** EvenMooksHaveLovedOnes: The villain's minions have people they care about, which may affect their loyalty.

** TheSociopath: Someone who is psychologically incapable of feeling any real empathy or compassion for other people will have no moral qualms about hurting them, if doing so can get them whatever they want.
*** MoralSociopathy: Someone might have their own (twisted) moral code, but they lack any actual concern for others' well-being.

** WhatMeasureIsAMook: Not caring at all about having to slaughter your way through nameless grunts.

** ChaosIsEvil: Chaos is a force for villainy.
** OrderIsNotGood: Order is tyrannical and oppressive.
** BothOrderAndChaosAreDangerous: Order and chaos can be equally damaging if left unchecked.

** PureIsNotGood: Purity is not always synonymous with goodness.

** CutenessEqualsForgiveness: Cute and huggable excuses bad behavior.

** KarmicSTD: In that same vein, if you get a sexually transmitted disease, it's your punishment for being bad.

** ALighterShadeOfBlack: Some villains happen to be not as bad as others.
** ALighterShadeOfGrey: The AntiHero who's more moral than the other.
** BlackAndGrayMorality: The villains are pure evil, but our heroes aren't exactly saints themselves.
** BlackAndWhiteMorality: The heroes are good and pure while the villains are evil and corrupt.
*** BlackAndWhiteInsanity: Someone has such an extremely binary moral worldview, that anyone who is even slightly opposed to their ideals must be one-dimensionally evil.
** BlueAndOrangeMorality: Good and evil are irrelevant here.
** EvilVersusEvil: Villains who oppose each other, one usually being more amoral than flat out evil.
** GoodVersusGood: There is no evil at all on either side, just heroes who oppose each other.
** GrayingMorality: The central conflict becomes less good vs evil over time.
** GreyAndGrayMorality: Neither side is particularly good or evil.
*** GreyAndGrayInsanity: Somebody has an extremely middle-ground moral worldview, positing that everyone's on the same morally dubious level no matter how good-natured or evil their actions are.
** WhiteAndGreyMorality: The heroes are pure good, but their opponents aren't actually evil.

** EarnYourHappyEnding: After enduring hell, everything works out for you in the end.

** ThouShaltNotKillMuggles: Killing non-superpowered people is a crime.
** ThisIsNotMyLifeToTake: Refraining from killing someone because you feel it's not your place to do so.

** DeliberateValuesDissonance: Outdated morals and values are part of the story because they match the setting.

** NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: It turns out you're not justified in your actions and you do it for self-serving reasons.

* BeyondRedemption: A character believes another character isn't worth redeeming.

* PoisonousFriend: A "friend" that resorts to queationable methods behind your back.

* AccompliceByInaction: You could have saved someone from death or suffering, but you chose not to. This makes you as evil as the person who inflicted the suffering in the first place.
* ActualPacifist: You are greatly opposed to using violence.
* AdaptationalSelfDefense: An adaptation changes a depiction of a character who killed someone so they killed in self defense.
* AgreeToDisagree: You can still be friends with those who do not share your views.
* AlienNonInterferenceClause: You are forbidden to interfere in the affairs of other societies.

* AngerIsHealthyAesop: Being angry doesn't automatically make you evil, being violent and murderous as a result of anger is what makes you evil.

* ApeShallNeverKillApe: You won't harm anyone who is like you, but will cheerfully harm everyone else.

* AwakeningTheSleepingGiant: Even neutral forces will fight back if you hurt them.

But it must be remembered that all tropes in this index refer only to good and evil as it appears in artistic media. In RealLife, good and bad choices are ''SeriousBusiness.'' See also NoRealLife.MoralityTropes.

* SparingThemTheirDirtyWork: Someone kills/harms another to save someone else from having to dirty the deed.

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%% Do not add tropes without discussion!
%% An item can only be added to a No Real Life Examples, Please! index if it was:
%% - agreed upon during drafting at the TropeLaunchPad or
%% - discussed and agreement reached on a crowner on the RL section project thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13350380440A15238800
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* ThickerThanWater: Family always comes first regardless of circumstances.

* OpinionOverride: You're offended on behalf of a group of people despite the fact that they could care less about the thing that should offend them.

* PostSupportRegret: A friend that you stood up for and stood by despite their bad behavior does something unforgivable in your eyes, making you realize that they are not a good person and you were wrong to believe otherwise.

* ShouldntYouStopStealing: Continuing to engage in a vice despite no longer having any reason to.

* SuddenPrincipledStand: You suddenly refuse to take part in a crime despite having had no objections to previous crimes.

* BecauseImGoodAtIt: You know that your job is unethical but you continue doing it because you're good at it.

* DebateAndSwitch: Creating a moral dilemma but never having to face it.

* DirtyBusiness: You do something heinous but you feel remorse for it.

* DoWrongRight: Scolding someone not for doing wrong but for doing the wrong thing incorrectly.

* KarmicMisfire: You not only get away scot-free with whatever bad thing you did but an innocent person gets punished in your place.

* MoralMyopia: You acting horribly is justified but your enemies acting horribly back is a crime.

** BlackAndGrayMorality: The villains are pure evil but our heroes aren't exactly saints themselves.

** WhiteAndGreyMorality: The heroes are pure good but their opponents aren't actually evil.

* CowardlyLion: You're scared to death but can be counted on to do the right thing.

* BeforeIChangeMyMind: They'll do what you say but may drop you if you take too long to say it.

* ApeShallNeverKillApe: You won't harm anyone who is like you but will cheerfully harm everyone else.

* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene: The heroes commit a war crime to show how wars are not {{black and white|Morality}}.

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+ WhatMeasureIsAnIndex]