Despereaux had already started to understand what Gregory says here when he said “once upon a time” on the dungeon stairs and felt braver as a result. Stories, this suggests, can give people hope and show them what’s possible—especially what good things are possible. Note, too, that Despereaux isn’t like the other mice who have been banished to the dungeon. While he was banished in the first place because he didn’t fit in with the other mice, here, the fact that he doesn’t conform saves him.