Take a story's temperature by studying its tone. Is it hopeful? Cynical? Snarky? Playful?
Objective
Miller never seems biased towards one character or another. He doesn't judge them. They're all human. Even if they make bad decisions, he writes them with the same even-handed style. Don't get us wrong. We're not saying he doesn't have sympathy for the characters. We're saying he has sympathy for all of them, even the one's who would seemingly deserve it the least.