The Lord of the Rings is celebrated for its simple black-and-white approach to morality. Like most high fantasy stories, the heroes are unflappable selfless beacons of light, and the villains are monsters made of hatred. The heroes tend to be underdogs, struggling to stay unnoticed while they oppose the all-powerful antagonist. Aragorn defies expectations in several ways, making him a nightmare for the Dark Lord, Sauron.