teach us humility and gratitude

That's one aspect yes. I enjoy the story though, musing over what their lives might have been like, who they were, rather than trying to draw some type of learning experience from it all the time. Maybe I'm just a simple-thinking man, but I like to think about their lives. Sure, there's lessons too, but sometimes life should be lived a little rather than always seeking something. I believe that's where people go wrong a lot. They seek something ahead of them rather than living what's around them.

But what do I know I guess.