Chapter 4 of Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls is fantastic.
The main character, Robert Jordan, returns from scouting a bridge he is to demolish only to discover Pablo, his erstwhile local support, is set against him doing the deed. There is no profit to him in it, only swift retribution.
Unfortunately for Pablo, all of his companions are set against him, and in a tense, laugh out loud exchange, Robert Jordan and spry Anselmo lead everyone to change their allegiance to the mujer of Pablo, his now pitying lady. Literally a page turner, you just know someone's about to get shot, but it ends in the absolute humiliation of the cowardly Pablo instead.
"Safety," the wife of Pablo said. "There is no such thing as safety. There are so many seeking safety here now that they make a great danger. In seeking safety now you lose all."
It's not always enough to prioritize peace and prosperity.
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