First, by the end of his Labors, Hercules understood that sometimes, he was a jerkface—and he had to live with that and try to do better. Second, by the end of his Labors, Hercules understood that he had been to hell and come back. That meant a lot—that he had come back. Now he had a lot more living to do—and he was grateful beyond anything for that. Third, by the end of his Labors, Hercules was no longer a secret to himself. That’s what all the Labors were really for.
