This proves that Sherlock Homes has a moral incentive for solving mysteries, in addition to the mental thrill he so intently seeks. However, this moral implication and empathy for victims of injustice does not hinder Holmes’s deductive skills or his endeavor to remain secluded from conventional societal behavior. The fact that he only mentions his empathy in passing, and as a direct consequence of his inability to solve the case of the missing husband, proves that it does not take a large amount of space to address, and yet contributes to Sherlock’s righteous character. This is a means for Doyle to paint Holmes as a one-dimensional ethical character, who attempts to use his powers of observation and deductive reasoning for the benefit of society. It makes him a morally plain protagonist with no moral ambiguity or flaw in his character.
	His moral inclination is still overshadowed by his overbearing set of skills that expedite his investigative process.  It is these skills that grant Holmes his independence in his investigations, rendering Watson unnecessary. In “The Man with the Twisted Lip,” Holmes solves the mystery of the missing Mr. St. Clair by immersing himself in tobacco smoke and deep thought. He also made a lot of progress investigating the pub on his own earlier in the timeline of the story. These facts show Holmes is more than capable of solving cases alone.  He has the mental capacity and the supplementary skills, such as the ability to disguise himself, to do so. Hence, the reader could easily come to the conclusion that Watson is in fact subsidiary to Holmes’s investigations. That is not to say, however, that Watson is completely useless to the progression of these stories. In fact Watson, as the narrator plays a most critical role in the development of the story. 
	At times Sherlock’s eccentric nature becomes too far removed from what is practical. It is then Watson’s role to bring him from his elevated plane of thought down to the realm of the common man. When Watson finds Sherlock examining a hat with a lens, giving him a summary of his deductions, he beckons Holmes to iterate through his thought process and then tells him that it is all “rather a waste of energy”. This exemplifies how Watson bridges the deductive gap between the common reader and Sherlock Holmes. He forces Holmes to explain himself in simple progressions of observations and conclusions that a common reader could comprehend, making him not as much of a superhuman sleuth as he seems to be initially. Watson also keeps Holmes grounded in reality and not so far absorbed in his own deductions that are sometimes “rather a waste of energy.” It is Watson who keeps these stories readable and understandable, for Holmes has so developed his intellectual capacity that a reader would not be able to keep up with him.    
	Through the short story structure of the Sherlock Holmes adventures, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle builds the character of his almost superhuman sleuth. Holmes is a static rational recluse, who puts his mental capacity to help society. These stories practically pioneered the modern literary genre of mystery. The detached detective who does not relate directly to the common reader began with these short stories. The fact that a writer could introduce an impressive investigator in the face of challenging mysteries was revolutionary. 
