If Lord Henry is the Devil's advocate, then Basil Hallward is God's. He's an eternal idealist who truly believes in the innate goodness of mankind. What he doesn't realize is that he's a good man living in a bad world. He continues to have faith in the possibility of redemption and he's a firm believer in high-minded, pure values like Beauty, Truth, and Love. The problem is, he tends to confuse these things; because Dorian continues to be beautiful, Basil optimistically thinks that he also continues to be truthful and loving. Basil refuses to believe that his supposed friends, Henry and Dorian, can be really bad. Ultimately, he pays for his optimism and good faith with the highest price – his life.