The Nero Wolfe fan community

And all that goes with the way that people crying in his office seem to affect Wolfe - at least once he's actually settled as a character - as if they were physically painful. And I think it's pretty clear that one of the big things he appreciates about Archie is that Archie is someone who cares, both about cases and people, but who doesn't generally let that be overwhelming. He has lots of feelings and expresses them, but he's very, very rarely incapacitated by them. Archie sort of functions as How A Regular, At Least Vaguely Healthy Person Would Act example - not that Wolfe wants to change, but that he appreciates having that balance there, in the same way he appreciates the occasional kick up the ass to get some work done. *g*