Instruct the students to focus on these individuals, to analyze their opinions and actions. In this way, the student enters the world of another person and begins to understand what motivates other people. History turns on the work of a few people. There are plenty of theories, but nobody knows for sure what motivates some people to take a moral stance while others, the majority, are content to remain on the sidelines and to watch events unfold. The pressures of social conformity cripples many people from acting.
Fear cripples others.
The people who become moral leaders are often those who reject social conformity and are able to overcome their own fears. They are the ones capable of feeling the pain suffered by another person. Often they are influenced by an incident in which injustice is triumphant. Sometimes they are simply natural fighters. The example of others makes a difference.