Values are the essence of human character. The central place of values in character formation is wonderfully brought out in the portrayal of Athos or the Count de la Fere, one of the famous four in Alexander Dumas' Three Musketeers and its four sequels. The power of values for accomplishment is dramatically illustrated by Athos' remarkable accomplishments in the third novel of the series, The Vicomte de Bragalonne. A life of higher values provided that ultimate protection to a defenseless French widow in Heinrich von Kleist's Marquise of O.