Aeneas comes to the realisation that he must put his son's future first, before his own happiness, making him a very selfless man who is concerned with his family worth. Although Aeneas is weary of crushing Dido's dreams and breaking her heart, he has been deeply moved by the message sent by Mercury through Jupiter himself. Aeneas' respect of the gods also drives his decision as he trusts them and realises the importance that it is the will of Jupiter and he must obey their orders as he fears them which shows piety and nobility. After Mercury delivered his message Aeneas' 'hair stood on end with horror and the voice stuck in his throat' he immediately undergoes a change of heart and states he wishes to flee and leave behind the land he found so sweet. This is the reaction of Aeneas when reality has struck him and he no longer wishes to live a life of his own accord or free will and for his own personal pleasures such as sharing the throne with Dido the queen of Carthage. Although this would be ideal for Aeneas and would not require nowhere near as much effort as founding and searching for a new city would, nonetheless Aeneas realises he is to fight for his new kingdom and truly deserve it not have it handed to him on a plate from living off Dido's achievements which would have been looked down upon for a Greek hero like Aeneas with such duty on his shoulders. .
Aeneas shows a great sense of responsibility and a liking for Pallas the son of King Evander who agrees to allow him to accompany Aeneas in the war between the Trojans and the Rutulians. Aeneas acts almost as a father figure for Pallas in the absence of Evander who loved his son dearly and treasured him. King Evander allows Pallas to go but shows a great deal of concern and worry for his son, however he trusts that Aeneas will return him home safely and teach him the arts of war. In book 10 Turnus recognises the young boy's skills and sees him as a threat so he uses his lance and kills him with it.