Per wiki policy, Spoilers Off applies here and all spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned.

Shadow of the Bear:

Blanche standing up to the bullies who had kidnapped her (and best of all, shows she does believe in fairy tales like Rose was talking about):
"'Thoughts flitted across her mind like butterflies. The deeper reality. What was really going on here?
Finally she said, 'You're an evil prince.'
'What?' Rob gaped at her incredulously.
'You're an evil prince,' Blanche said, shaking her hair back from her face. 'And I'm not going to tell you anything.'"
A mean girl at school, Lisa, who'd been bullying Blanche for awhile suggests Blanche has become a lady of the night because she's seeing Bear. Rose has had enough and shoves the girl. Both Lisa and Rose get in trouble, but Mrs. Brier still sides with Rose for defending her poor sister.

Despite being maced, beaten, tortured, tied up, doused in gasoline, and thrown into a burning barn, Fish still pushes through all the pain and creeping despair and escapes a hopeless situation. It's not even negated by the fact he's immediately recaptured by Dr. Prosser and Dr. Murray, because they're absolutely shaken.
"He's still alive?" Dr. Murray's shocked voice came towards him as she hurried over.
"Damn you," Dr. Prosser whispered, looking into his eyes. "Damn you."

Raphaela protecting Lianna from her abusive ex-boyfriend.
Most of what Hermes is willing to do for Raphaela- especially when he gets himself brutally beat up and almost raped and murdered by the evil caretaker to make sure she has time to escape the tower to get herself and their babies to safety at last.
Everything Raphaela does once she's run away from the hospital. To be a pregnant, sheltered 16 year old with no money and few she can trust to make it on the streets as well as she does is impressive. And that's only the start.