Once more - with questions. part 2.

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

--- In the_old_crowd at yahoogroups.com, "Barry Arrowsmith"
<arrowsmithbt at ...> wrote:

> Dobby, often referred to (snip) as "That F***ing Elf". 
> It's safe to assume he's not my favourite character.

> still remain within the bounds of the 
> H-F Code of Duty and Ethics, 

Throughout this post, you abbreviate House Elf as H-F. Once could be a
typo. F**king Elf would be F-E. Maybe you're thinking H**** **f?

> 'Cos there's the old feudal concept
> of diffidatio - if a lord doesn't fulfill his responsibilities, then 
> revolt is condoned. 

I was struck by how alien that is to Japanese feudal codes -- "the
biggest test of a good samurai is how well he serves a bad daimyo",
and peasants who dare to petition their lords for relief of famine
confidently expect to be crucified for doing it (altho' etiquette
requires the lord to act on their petition).

I wonder if there's a WW equivalent?

> Effectively, one puts the care of individual family members 
> above the family ethical code (or lack of one), the other puts 
> the code first and duty to the individual second. 
 

Maybe not. Maybe both have a favorite family member (Winky - Junior,
Kreachy - first Old Mistress, then Bella) whom they assist despite the
  head of the family.