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1'''Basic Trope''': Where everyone was born good until something drives them into evil.
2* '''Straight''': All the people in the story are either heroic and moral or [[FreudianExcuse had something happen to them in the past]] that [[FaceHeelTurn made them so evil]].
3* '''Exaggerated''':
4** All the heroes are {{all loving|Hero}} people who won't hurt a fly and help everyone they come across, only to become evil upon receiving a paper-cut.
5** It gets to the point where every single EldritchAbomination the heroes met/fought ends with a case of DidWeJustHaveTeaWithCthulhu. The heroes start wondering how on earth villains could appear in the first place.
6* '''Downplayed''': Everyone is morally neutral with good tendencies unless they have a FreudianExcuse.
7* '''Justified''':
8** It's a point of fact in this universe that GodIsGood, so he doesn't make anything pure evil with no redeemable qualities.
9** The story takes place on a WhiteAndGreyMorality setting, as true heroes exist, but true villains don't.
10* '''Inverted''': HumansAreBastards and HobbesWasRight
11* '''Subverted''':
12** The heroes, for the first time, face a villain who is a SpoiledBrat who gets almost everything they want.
13** The villains were lying to get the heroes' sympathy.
14** The heroes face a CompleteMonster.
15** [[Franchise/HarryPotter The villain did live in an orphanage...but the most terrifying thing about that orphanage was themselves, as they were a psychopath even at a young age.]]
16* '''Double Subverted''':
17** ...or least one who doesn't like talking about their DarkAndTroubledPast.
18** It turns out their real FreudianExcuse is much worse.
19** ...or they seemed like one, until their backstory gets the heroes to CryForTheDevil.
20** These villains are exceptions [[WhiteAndGreyMorality to what is otherwise the rule]].
21* '''Parodied''':
22** Greg TheHero gets mad one day and kills a fly, then becomes a CardCarryingVillain who merely [[PokeThePoodle pokes the poodle]].
23** Alex says "Humans are good by default." While [[BlackComedy there's a man killing babies]] [[FunnyBackgroundEvent right behind him]].
24* '''Zig Zagged''': Some Villains have excuses, some don't. Except those villains turn out to have excuses after all. Except Emperor Evulz. Who is actually {{Satan}}. But even he has an excuse. Which is fake. Or is it?
25* '''Averted''': Everyone's mind, when born, is a blank slate.
26* '''Enforced''': The writer wants to create SympathyForTheDevil so he shows how formerly good people went wrong.
27* '''Lampshaded''': "It's good knowing no-one is really evil."
28* '''Invoked''': [[CrystalDragonJesus Daya T.]] creates everyone as a blank slate.
29* '''Exploited''': Aliens attack the planet because they know the innocent natives won't fight back.
30* '''Defied''':
31** "Nobody is good by nature. [[BlackAndWhiteMorality It's up to us to choose to be good]]."
32** "To hell with the whole "everybody is good by nature" nonsense! [[MisanthropeSupreme They all must die!]]"
33** "Everyone's good by nature? That means [[GoodIsDumb everyone's an idiot by nature, then.]]"
34* '''Discussed''': "Look, not everyone is good deep down, Ok!"
35** Alternatively, continuing from '''Defied''': "Well, babies ''are'' born without any knowledge..."
36* '''Conversed''': "If only everyone in real life was that nice, eh?"
37* '''Deconstructed''':
38** Because humans are inherently good, when circumstances push them into being evil, [[RedemptionRejection they never bother to turn away from it.]] It's gets even worse when some [[TautologicalTemplar humans believe that they are good]] despite [[KickTheDog Kicking the Dog]] and crossing the MoralEventHorizon one times too many.
39** If humans start good, the only way there can even ''be'' evil or malicious humans is for someone (or something) to be malicious to them in turn... implying the existence of an inhuman force that ''is'' inherently evil (i.e. [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demons]] or {{Satan}}).
40* '''Reconstructed''':
41** The conflict is now full of BlackAndGrayMorality; while there are some people who are not morally perfect, they strive to morally improve themselves, managing to prove they are (slightly) better than the evil humans they fight.
42** Or alternatively, the conflict is (back to) WhiteAndGreyMorality, as the humans who remained good [[ForHappiness contribute to improving life for all.]] After all, if everyone is capable of redemption, then even the worst individuals can [[HeelRealization realize their horrific errors]] and [[TheAtoner atone]] for their destructive deeds. [[ForgivenButNotForgotten While they're forgiven, others still remember what they've done.]] Redemption may not be easy, but it is still possible, and it is WorthIt.
43** The fact that humans start good implies that [[GodIsGood whatever created them wanted them to be that way.]]
44----
45Back to RousseauWasRight, it only does those things because it [[WellIntentionedExtremist has to!]]
46----
47%% Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:
48%%
49%%* '''Implied''': ???
50%%* '''Plotted A Good Waste''': ???
51%%* '''Played For Laughs''': ???

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