He is special because of his very deep faith in God, his unselfishness, and his love for all humans. He refuses (does not) to judge people, and often is very to other people’s feelings. He is gentle, modest (not proud), and very kind, but never foolish or naïve, and because of this almost everybody likes and trusts him. “The gift of making people love him was inherent in him; he gained people’s affection directly and effortlessly; it was part of his nature.” Dmitry calls him “the cherub”; Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov “…had come to love his son deeply and sincerely; in fact, his feelings for Alyosha were such as a man like him could never have expected to have for anyone.” He says to Alyosha, “…with you alone I feel like a decent person at certain moments…”, and that Alyosha is his “only true son…the only one I’m not afraid of.” Ivan says that he likes Alyosha because he has strong beliefs, and is one of the only people he talks really sincerely to. While Ivan is horrified at children’s sufferings and says that this is one of the reasons why he cannot believe in God, Alyosha actively helps and loves children, like Kolya and Ilyusha. He is almost a symbol of love and forgiveness, and represents the spiritual part of mankind. He influences the schoolboys and teaches them what Zosima taught him.