Unexpected Success

"(Moses: I've never done anything in my life worth honoring.) First you rescue Tzipporah from Egypt, and then you defend my younger daughters from brigands. You think that is "nothing?" It seems you don't know what is worthy of honor."

- Jethro reminding Moses that he rescued his daughters and should be proud of his actions.

Sometimes, in many a story, the hero or heroine does something he or she doesn't know is wonderful. In other words, the protagonist is unaware that his or her actions have attracted positive attention or made him or her a hero. This is not to be confused with Negativity Turned Positivity, and, just as an antagonist can be defeated by the power he obtains, is one of the must unpredictable moments in a story.

Examples

 * Paddington Bear notices a man run off after he dropped his wallet and goes after him. What he doesn't know is that the man is a wallet thief, and Paddington unexpectedly catches the robber, attracting positive attention from the press and the Brown Family.
 * In The Prince of Egypt, Moses knows he hasn't done anything worth looking up to, but receives unexpected praise from Jethro after helping Tzipporah escape Egypt and rescuing his younger daughters from bandits.
 * Harry Potter goes after Draco Malfoy after he swipes a trinket from a student. When he finally gets it back, Professor McGonagall calls him to his office. It seems Harry is in trouble, but she unexpectedly praises him for his skill and promotes him to Quiddich.