Mr. Gilmer smiled grimly at the jury. “You’re a mighty good fellow, it seems – did all this for not one penny?”
“Yes, suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ’em – ”
“You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for her?” Mr. Gilmer seemed ready to rise to the ceiling.
The witness realized his mistake and shifted uncomfortably in the chair. But the damage was done. Below us, nobody liked Tom Robinson’s answer. Mr. Gilmer paused a long time to let it sink in.
– Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 19. Poor black field worker Tom Robinson’s compassion for white woman Mayella Ewing is used against him at his trial in the prejudiced and racially-divided society of Maycomb.