Me, myself, I Since Calvin's social life is confined to his parents and Hobbes, it is easy to see how he might fail to grasp the principle that one cannot easily claim the protection of a moral rule for oneself without granting it to others. But Calvin does face a few others who can help him acquire the recognition that his well-being depends to some degree on the existence of a moral order. There is Moe, the schoolyard bully, who extorts Calvin's lunch money with supreme indifference to any rules of fair play, and Rosalyn, the dreaded baby sitter, who, though often defeated in her efforts to maintain a semblance of order, usually wins in the final inning. One of Calvin's ''scientific'' experiments almost confronts him with the reality of his social nature. He builds a Duplicator that turns out five more Calvins who the real Calvin thinks can be used to do his homework, go to school and clean up his room while he loafs.
Democracy is a good political system, but it presupposes some moral convictions.
Though the tiger greets Calvin with ferocious leaps that nearly bury the boy in the lawn, though Calvin and Hobbes fight over the silliest disagreements, Hobbes has a nature that compels Calvin's affection. Calvin's essential humanity is aroused by being with his tiger. The saddest episodes in the short life of the comic strip were when the house was burgled and for a few desperate hours Calvin thought Hobbes had been stolen. Their reunion was genuinely touching, as were the many times when they played Calvinball or lay in front of a warm fire nestled against each other. It wins the struggle when we give way to excessive greed, intemperate rage or preening self-adulation.