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| - What's this? An orphan has appeared near the Haunted Castle, or an addled drifter in need of help wanders into town, or perhaps an outright villain is shown Forgiveness and compassion once they've lost, and they are taken into a Good Samaritan's home and shown kindness. But in the middle of the night, their benefactor awakens to find the good silver stolen, the dog dead, and the house on fire -- all courtesy of the injured man they thought they could help. They should have known better. Examples of The Farmer and the Viper include:
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| - What's this? An orphan has appeared near the Haunted Castle, or an addled drifter in need of help wanders into town, or perhaps an outright villain is shown Forgiveness and compassion once they've lost, and they are taken into a Good Samaritan's home and shown kindness. But in the middle of the night, their benefactor awakens to find the good silver stolen, the dog dead, and the house on fire -- all courtesy of the injured man they thought they could help. They should have known better. This Family-Unfriendly Aesop is much like Curiosity Is a Crapshoot: a display of friendship, trust, and love won't always bring about a redemption; sometimes evil will bite the hand extended to it. Compare Morality Chain, where the Samaritan does somehow manage to restrain their ward's wickedness. Turn the Other Cheek is probably the Samaritan's mindset. The receiver may turn out to be a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing or a Jerk with a Heart of Jerk. When combined with Save the Villain, this is sometimes used to set up a Disney Villain Death. Compare Bad Samaritan, when it is the care-giver, not the care-receiver, who is evil. Inverse of Good Samaritan and Androcles' Lion. See also Save the Villain, Taking You with Me, Take My Hand, Prisoner's Dilemma. See also They Were Holding You Back for a common justification for how the viper is really "helping." Also called the Scorpion Dilemma, or The Frog and the Scorpion after a similar fable. (see Mythology, below) Not to be confused with "The Farmer and the Cowman." Examples of The Farmer and the Viper include:
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