Faithful and Virtuous Night Lesson Plan

How does the melancholy assistant's employer give his suffering meaning? What does the melancholy assistant give, if anything, to his employer, and why is this unusual or noteworthy? How does the employer resemble other characters in the collection, and what is significant about this resemblance?

Students will note that it is in the employer's sharing of their own suffering, which provides validation and connection for the assistant, that the assistant finds meaning in what he is going through. Likewise, the assistant's honesty about his predicament inspires and warms the employer, who says "my heart went out to him" and experiences "the odd sensation/ of once more...