“Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does. So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s something I’ll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody and I’d rather it be me than that houseful of children out there. You understand?”
– Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 23. Atticus is such a good and selfless human being that he can even feel compassion for a man as bad as Bob Ewell. After exposing Ewell’s lying in the witness box in court, Atticus says he would rather Ewell direct his fury at him rather than take it out on Mayella Ewell.