“Aren’t you goin’ down to watch?” asked Dill.
“I am not. ‘t’s morbid, watching a poor devil on trial for his life. Look at all those folks, it’s like a Roman carnival.”
– Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 16. Miss Maudie Atkinson is the female version of Atticus. She is more sensitive to Tom Robinson’s fate than those who are going to court to enjoy the spectacle of seeing a black man being tried for the rape of a white woman. To her Tom is a human being who deserves respect and to be treated as an equal during his time in court.