Just take an average party with fighters to slay the monsters for gold, thieves to steal the gold from the fighters, paladins to prevent the thieves to steal the gold from the fighters and gnomes who irritate everyone while they are doing this.
The most difficult position in a party is the one called paladin. He always has to forbid people to do things, but doesn't want to spoil their fun. While he himself knows the best way to have fun is to clean and polish things, the others seem to stubbornly prefer other types of fun, like drinking, fighting and reading comics, all very improper things to do.
Of course the paladin will not allow those things, but wants them to have fun, while they refuse to polish (stubborn!). He has to allow some things he finds doubtful, to prevent them from doing the real bad things named above. So if they want to sacrifice the gnome, he will sometimes have to allow it as a compromise.
Paladin's often are not able to understand the ways of their party-members. Why do they pick pockets instead of flowers? Maybe to prevent the owner of the pocket from hurting himself by falling on his possessions?
Why do they drink a lot of alcohol and act strangely afterwards? To make sick children laugh? But sick children aren't in bars, are they? It's difficult. Why do they always make fun of gnomes? Because they're little, stupid and clumsy? Is that reason to make fun of anyone? Why can't they pretend to like gnome's, just like the paladin himself does?
Maybe the paladin himself is strange. Maybe he should go into a bar, kick everyone around because they are breathing and sell them to be slaves in his own illegal post office, just to fit in.
But no, he won't. He won't because he can't change the one he is, neither as his party-members can. They all just are who they are and that's why they are a party.
And a paladin can fit in perfectly in his own way, as long as he shuts up now and then so he doesn't get slain.

This column was accompanied by a short story: Paladin and the Wonderlamp

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