"The Cost of Kindness" by Jerome K. Jerome is a short and humourous book that follows Mrs. Pennycoup, who does a good deed that she assumed would be relatively effortless. However, as word spreads of her kindness, more and more people in the village attempt to one-up her and each other by being more gracious, more polite, and more selfless in the eyes of their neighbors. Slowly, greater and greater efforts are needed to keep up the image of being a good person, and serves as a reminder that politeness, especially when superficially motivated, can hold many perils.
