Basic Trope: Kindness to a neglected/abused person is repaid with help and Undying Loyalty.
- Straight: Bob gave Alice his sandwich on a day she didn't have her own food with her. She instantly decides she will always help him whenever and however he needs it, up to and including giving those evil bikers trying to kidnap Bob a guided tour to the gates of Hell.
- Exaggerated:
- Alice is The Ageless and Bob's kindness in giving her half his sandwich is the best she's been treated in centuries. She vows she will warp the fabric of reality to give Bob everything he desires.
- On a much less extreme note, Alice fell in love with Bob the moment he gave her his sandwich and showed kindness to her in such a long time. They're now dating.
- Downplayed: Bob gave Alice his sandwich on a day she had no food with her, and she helps him out a few times.
- Justified:
- Kindness is strange to Alice, and she's determined to help the only person who shows it to her.
- Alice had such a terrible life that even the smallest of kind acts is enough to make her loyal.
- Inverted:
- Bob gives Alice his sandwich on a day she didn't have any food with her. Now that he's proven he has supplies, she beats him up and takes all the supplies he has.
- Bob becomes obsessed with helping Alice because nobody else seems to.
- Subverted: Bob gives Alice his sandwich. She says no one has been so kind to her... and then walks away.
- Double Subverted: However when Alice discovers she is the long-lost Princess of Troperia, the first thing she thinks of is how she can now repay Bob for his kindness in giving her the sandwich.
- Parodied: Bob tells Alice "hello." She instantly pledges Undying Loyalty to him.
- Zig-Zagged: Bob gives Alice his sandwich. She says no one has been so kind to her and then walks away. Then he saves Charlie and Dracone from a wolf attack. They seem to be friendly, but then Dracone beats up Bob and steals his supplies. However, Charlie tries to help him and manages to keep him alive until they find Alice, who has just found out she is the long-lost Princess of Troperia. She remembers Bob and gives him a place at court.
- Averted: Alice is used to acts of kindness and reacts normally to them.
- Enforced: The author is trying to insert An Aesop about the benefits of kindness.
- Lampshaded:Bob: Really? It was only one sandwich! You want to help me for life because of one sandwich?
Alice: No one has been so kind to me in years. - Exploited: Bob gives Alice a sandwich knowing she will try to repay him "Kindness given is kindness repaid."
- Defied: Bob tells Alice to Think Nothing of It so she won't dwell on how to return the favor.
- Discussed: "So you're telling me that this is seriously the nicest thing someone has done for you? Are you ok? Do you need help?"
- Conversed: "You ever wonder how depressing Alice's life must have been if she reacted like this to a SANDWICH?"
- Implied: Charlie asks Bob how he and Alice became friends, noting that she's helped him through some pretty rough things. Bob answers, "Not as rough as the streets of Horrur."
- Deconstructed:
- By being nice to Alice, she becomes a Yandere to Bob.
- Alice is loyal to individual people who are nice to her, rather than any specific cause or ideals. All's well and good when it's just Bob, but when his enemies learn of this and start to be nice to her in turn, it leads to Conflicting Loyalty.
- Bob being nice to Alice is part of a plan to convert her into his cult.
- Reconstructed:
- Alice may be obsessive over Bob, but she still has his best interests at heart, and eventually learns to be a bit more restrained in her affections.
- Alice being torn between loyalties is what allows her to start truly growing as a person, and she learns that she doesn't owe anything to nice people when they're only doing it to use her.
- Played For Laughs: Alice's sheer dedication to Bob over his single act of kindness really confuses him. Any attempts to point out how odd her attitude is inevitably falls on deaf ears.
- Played For Drama: Alice had a truly miserable life up to this point, including a toxic home life and a severe difficulty socializing. Bob is naturally horrified to learn this.
I can't believe you were so kind as to come and see this subpage! Here, I'll help you back to the trope.
