The core theme of the poem is summarized in its title: the need for kindness, compassion, and selfless goodness between one human being and another. The speaker opens the poem by warning the reader about viewing such an undertaking too lightly; to truly understand, one must first glimpse what the world would look like without it. This suggests that kindness, despite its immeasurable power, is easily overlooked. The speaker explains that the true value of kindness and compassion is only perceived when everything else is stripped away.

The second stanza describes kindness as a “tender gravity” (Line 14), contrasted against the horror of a man’s body by the side of the road. As death is the most extreme form of absence, the poem uses this moment to paint an emptiness in which kindness is the only thing left. While these emotions are “tender,” the “gravity” (Line 14) of them shows how kindness and compassion become a center of strength in times of struggle. The stanza then goes on to suggest the reader could easily take the man’s place at any moment, which emphasizes the importance of displaying attributes like compassion in the time that readers are given.

The third stanza deals with the juxtaposition and the gap between kindness and sorrow—a time when compassion becomes more important and essential than ever.