I think this story is told in a witty an interesting way since it started where it should have finished with the funeral of the main character to create intrigue. Emily was somehow weird when the story said that there was hair on the pillow which meant that she slept next to him when he was dead.
Assuming this question is asking for a definition/synonym/"other word" for chivalrous, the answer is courteous. leaving a more comfortable seat for an elderly person is a respectful and polite gesture, which shows courtesy.