Here’s the main culprit for the injustice that comes to Zeitoun: fear. In this part of the book, we see fear taken to its logical, ugly conclusion. Fear only leads to hatred, and ultimately it destroys life. Fear is what filled New Orleans following Katrina, its what filled the soldiers and policemen who perpetrated all of this. For some, it was fear for their lives, but more often, it was fear that they would be shamed, or embarrassed, or somehow seen to have not fulfilled their duty. this combined with the fear that is at the root of racism, a fear of anyone who is different.

I still think Zeitoun did the right thing staying in New Orleans and helping who he could. The existence of evil does not mean that those who are good should abdicate. Someone once said – and I recently heard King Abdullah of Jordan quote this: “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” I believe Zeitoun, as a good man, did achieve something, though he suffered much. He proved that there is a different way from the way of fear. He was certainly not the only hero of Hurricane Katrina, but he represents them. He represents those who refuse to be controlled by fear, but instead choose to help, to serve, to love.

He reminds me of the Good Samaritan. We never hear what happened to the Samaritan after he helped the man beaten on the side of the road. Maybe the man had leprosy, and the Samaritan contracted it. Maybe he suffered his entire lifetime for this one act of kindness. Does that change the fact that what he did was the right thing?

It’s tempting, when you see the ugliness of the abuse heaped on Zeitoun, to think, “What’s the use? What difference can anyone make in the face of such evil?” And on a small scale, perhaps that is true. As long as we are on this broken earth, there will be battles that evil will win, or at least from our perspective it will appear that way. But on a cosmic scale, the war has already been won, there has already been a decisive victory.

Because perfect Love drives out fear. And we know His name.