So often in the tales we grow up on, characters fit neatly into boxes of personality. Villains versus heroes. Good versus evil. Right versus wrong.

And the villains are easy to spot. With a sinister gleam in their eye and hatred in their heart, they are hard to misinterpret. Often the mole on their chin gives away their identity before they even speak. They are vain. They are impossibly wicked. They are incomparably vile. They crave personal success over the wellbeing of others. And they take on menacing names. Ursula. Cruella. The Joker.

On the other hand, the hero is good looking, charming, witty and smart. They wish for good in the world. Even if they are arrogant about their successes, you see it as confidence instead. And you root for them, too; it must be something about their delightfully beautiful smile or the heart of gold you just know they have.

In these tales, everything is black and white. Good people do good things. Bad people do bad things. There is no gray area. The good guys always win, and the bad guys always get what they deserve.

And it makes sense to us. But life is not that simple.

When we try to look at the world, we live in from this fairytale lens, and we find it to be much more complicated.

We know the villain is supposed to be atrociously self-absorbed. With a hook for a hand, he’s supposed to be scheming for world domination. He’s supposed to be deceitful. His beady eyes are supposed to shift around when he’s lying, and he’s supposed to be quick tempered.

But what happens when the villain has the charming smile? What happens when his sense of humor makes you laugh harder than you have in years? What happens when he talks about how much he loves his mother? Or when you learn that you have an abundance of similar interests?

Or what happens when the hero does something unforgivable? What happens when they walk out on their responsibilities? Or when they leave you out? You know they love you. You know they want the best for you; you know they truly want the best for the world. But they made a mistake, and it affected you; and it's something you can’t get over. Do you write them off as a villain?

You thought the villain was your hero. You thought they would save you from all of your troubles. You thought all the woes in your heart would be mended by the caring tone of their voice. But they proved you wrong, and it hurts because you didn’t see it coming.

You thought the hero would never let you down. You thought you knew their heart, but, again, you were wrong. And it hurts.

But here is the thing: we all are heroes, and we all are villains. There is a little bit of good and a little bit of bad in each one of us, and every day we face an internal battle as to which we will choose.

The difference between the tales we hear as children and real life is that good and evil aren’t inherent traits. The people in our lives do not fit into little boxes.

And sometimes you’ll fall for the villain, and the realization that they are not wholly good will hurt. Sometimes the hero will make a wrong move and break your heart, and you’ll want to think they are rotten to the core.

But before you think these things, remember that even the worst of the worst have some good in their heart. Look at life for what it is: a grayscale. People make mistakes, people hurt others, and they aren’t always perfect. But that doesn’t make them heartless or villainous. It just makes them human.