Flower Mound Public Library discussion

Why are we drawn to these books with heroic characters, and how do they bring us comfort, hope and inspiration?

I like to read books in which life's horrible situations are resolved within a few hundred pages. It is so much neater than life itself is. The hero is the guy you can root for, even if he is a drug-addicted alcoholic such as James Crumley's protagonists or a sweet little old lady such as Nancy Atherton's heroine, ably assisted by a ghost or two.