any attempt to soften the edge of a villain (or Anti-Hero) by showing him engaging in a moment of kindness, especially towards someone who can't do anything for them. [...] In modern Hollywood circles, this is also referred to as "save the cat", with the idea being that if you show your hero stopping to save a cat stuck in a tree as his Establishing Character Moment, you're putting the audience on his side forever. (TV Tropes), a screenwriting term for scenes where a character is nurturing toward an animal, such as patting them on the head, caressing them, or feeding them. This shows their nurturing side, which showcases their altruism and selflessness. [...] Also, when an animal warms up to a character, no matter how repellant he is, we like him too because we trust that the animal can sense his true nature underneath the social mask. (Iglesias, 2005: 71)