Hans, in emphasizing Behrens’s efforts to alleviate suffering and improve humankind, appeals to Settembrini’s humanist sensibilities. He implies that Settembrini ought to like Behrens, since his work supports values that are important to Settembrini. Hans makes a valid point here, and this exchange also gestures toward one of Settembrini’s flaws: he doesn’t necessarily act on the abstract ideals he believes in. Settembrini, as a humanist, believes that humans should actively work to reach their full potential, and yet he remains at the Berghof, as passive as anyone else.