I suppose there is something in woman’s nature that makes a man free to break down before her and express his feelings on the tender or emotional side without feeling it derogatory to his manhood.
– Bram Stoker
Dracula, Chapter 17. Mina acts as the mother figure to the men in her life, comforting Arthur as he weeps over Lucy’s death. She says that there is something in the nature of woman that allows a man to break down in front of them and open up without feeling it damages his manhood.