The Strange Melancholy of Slaying Monsters

But what if the hero doesn’t want to slay the monster? What if the monster should be left alone because killing it would bring more shame upon the hero than glory?

This strangely resonates. One might say this is going too far but perhaps we’ve slayed enough.

https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-strange-melancholy-of-slaying-monsters