What every fairytale likes to see in its heros/heroines:-
- Humility. Nobody likes a show-off at the best of times. In a fairytale setting, anyone showing off will either be humilated or die horribly if they don't see the error of their ways.
- A willingness to work hard. Cinderella would not have had the sympathy if she had been a lazy mare.
- A willingness to help the less fortunate. Anyone in a fairy tale who comes across an old man/woman needing help would do well to give them that assistance. Said old people usually turn out to be powerful magical beings in disguise and they will help those that help them. This really is a test of character and it always pays to pass this.
- Not assuming anything about anyone. It is often the youngest or the downtrodden who overcome and achieve success. Often those characters are also without title or rank. Equally you can get princesses who act like spoilt brats but their stories are inevitably a lesson in how they learned some humilty (for example The Princess and the Golden Ball is a classic example of this).
- Being against greed and poverty and other horrors. There is a strong social message with many fairytales - The Emperor's New Clothes (anti-vanity), The Happy Prince (anti-poverty), Snow White (anti-cruelty). Justice will prevail in the fairytale world. Sometimes it is rough justice but it is justice!
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