your thoughts on the lessons that can be learned from reading "Good Country People".

The main lesson in Good Country People is that people are not always what they seem, and that characterizing people merely because of where they live can be a dire mistake. The ladies in the story are disgusted with the world in general, extolling the virtues of being country born and bred, as if "country people" have a leg up on virtue and morality.

Mrs. Hopewell approves of the Freemans because they're "good country people." Manley is also given the benefit of the doubt after proclaiming himself a country boy.... “Why! Good country people are the salt of the earth!” Hopewell bases her assessment of one's character on where they're from, and her assessments are proven wrong over and over again. Manley is a liar and a cheat, her vision of his character was colored by her own expectations.