Answer: Putting individuals convicted of crimes, especially violent crimes, in prison is thought to make the rest of us safer. But how much safety does all this imprisonment actually buy us? A study I recently published with colleagues shows the answer is very little, especially in the long-term.
It gives the reader an understanding of how a character understands their world. My favorite example of this was in 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas'. While the main character isn't the narrator, it gives the reader insight into how much the character did NOT understand of his world.
