"Think of them as neighbors, like Godzilla or Rodan. If we don't bother them they'll leave us alone, but if we get in the way or break something they'll get mad at us. But it might be fine to get close as long as we're careful, and if you do something like protect them from something bad, they'll remember it."
— Monster X to Manda regarding humans, Abraxas (Hrodvitnon)
<I never hoped to be free again. You freed me. I have done what I have done in my life. I am what I am, though I may have gained at least some wisdom through the years of enslavement to Visser One. Just the same, I will always be Alloran, the Butcher of Hork-Bajir. Alloran, the only Andalite to be taken alive by the Yeerks. But, disgraced, even despised, for whatever I am worth, I am yours to command.>
—War Prince Alloran, Animorphs #54: The Beginning
Jinjo: For setting us free, we Jinjos come to help our friend Banjo!
Gruntilda: I hid you well for being bad. Don't help the bear, you'll make me mad!
Homer: Bart, I'm not asking you to give blood for free. That would be crazy. You're a little young to understand this, but when you save a rich man's life, he showers you with riches! Don't you know the story of Hercules and the Lion?
Bart: Is it a Bible story?
Homer: Yeah, probably. Anyway, once upon a time, there was a big, mean lion who got a thorn in his paw, and all the villagers tried to pull it out, but nobody was strong enough. So, they got Hercules, and Hercules used his mighty strength, and bingo! Anyway, the moral is, the lion was so happy, that he gave Hercules this big... thing... of riches.
Bart: How did a lion get rich?
Homer: It was the olden days!
Bart: Oh.
Bart: Is it a Bible story?
Homer: Yeah, probably. Anyway, once upon a time, there was a big, mean lion who got a thorn in his paw, and all the villagers tried to pull it out, but nobody was strong enough. So, they got Hercules, and Hercules used his mighty strength, and bingo! Anyway, the moral is, the lion was so happy, that he gave Hercules this big... thing... of riches.
Bart: How did a lion get rich?
Homer: It was the olden days!
Bart: Oh.
— The Simpsons, "Blood Feud"
"Todd": The gift of life is reserved only for our most devout worshipers... and our brothers.
John Sheppard: Well, I guess there's a lot about the Wraith we don't know.
"Todd": Sheppard gave me back my life. I merely repaid the debt.
Lambach does not believe that anyone can do anything to stop his grandsire. In his despair, he accepts his destiny as the Eldest's witness, and he hopes only to slay himself before his grandsire finally devours him. Lambach carries a bottle of gasoline and a lighter at all times. If the characters show him some kindness and give him a vessel, however, he offers them a boon in return - whatever he can do short of giving his unlife for them. He is still a nobleman and a Tzimisce, with a Tzimisce's regard for hospitality. The fact that the characters can still treat a guest with honor moves him more deeply than he can say.
—Vampire: The Masquerade - Gehenna
You have been kind, traveler, and kindness must be repaid.
—The Firebird, Son of the Western Sea
"I rescued some condors once, are you here to return the favour?"
— Diego, Robot Chicken, The Curious Case of the Box, Dora the Disaster
"If you take care of animals, animals will take care of you."
— Grandpa Nat summarizing the trope in a nutshell, Molly of Denali, "Fire, Food, and Family"
