People admire those who stand up to bullies.
Greg is being bullied by a football player, and people are staring at him.
Greg has to decide whether he should do something.
Greg gets right in the bully's face and warns him not to say one more thing.
Greg doesn't know how the bully will react if he does anything, so he does nothing.
The people looking at Greg respect that he stood up to the bully.
The people watching Greg respect him even less and feel embarrassed for him.