A Game of Thrones question

I think that it's because they remain honorable. That should be a good thing but in a world as twisted as the seven kingdoms it makes them vulnerable to those with less moral standing.

I read a Martin that sort of explains it, it goes... "We've all seen the movies where the hero is in trouble - he's surrounded by 20 people, but you know he's gonna get away because he's the hero. You don't really feel any fear for him. I want my readers and my viewers to be afraid when my characters are in danger. I want them to be afraid to turn the next page because the next character may not survive it".

I respect Martin's approach, too often you can watch a movie and know from the very start how it's going to end. The good guys will prevail over the bad guys and what happens in between is just filler. At the very least, Martin's writing is unpredictable and you never quite know what will happen next.

So, I've been through the whole series and I'm anxiously awaiting the next book, but I can't help wondering if I have kind of a codependent relationship with this series. I keep hoping the series will treat that family right, and the series keeps beating them down. Actually, this argument makes little sense other than to say that I feel your pain, J.B.

Maybe because Martin realizes we need somebody to cheer for -- yet if they always came out ahead it would probably be less interesting by post modern standards.