Immediately following his latest victories at the science fair, Homer shows that he’s grown as a moral being as well as a scientist. While it would certainly be easy for Homer to track down the attacker and punish him to the full extent of the law, Homer recognizes that such an action would be ultimately futile—it wouldn’t bring his cat back to life, and wouldn’t make him feel any better. In essence, Homer’s attitude toward this unnamed assassin parallels his attitude toward his father, and toward Coalwood. He has many problems with Coalwood, but no longer seeks “revenge” on his home town. Rather, he wants to forgive his town, his father, and his cat’s killer, and move on with his life.