The films High Noon, directed by Fred Zinneman, and Treasure of the Sierra Madre, directed by John Houston, raise the question of personal advantage or altruism through the main characters. The main role in High Noon is Marshall Will Kane who has restored a town, Hadleyville, from its heinous past. Although Kane has recently retired due to his marriage, he once again finds himself facing the imminent destruction of Hadleyville when his enemy Frank Miller and his gang return. Howard, the main character of the film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, is a wise and courageous old man who meets two men and agrees to help them search for gold. While both characters serve a similar leadership role, they both possess contrasting motivations behind their goals. Howard and Marshall Kane are placed in positions that force the audience to decide whether their actions are self-indulgent or for the benefit of those around them. Howard meets two men, Dobbs and Curtin, in El Oso Negro's dormitory and decides to join them in their search for gold. Dobbs and Curtin both have little to no knowledge of gold mining, but Howard offers them his expertise gained through past gold mining experience. Before Howards sets out to hunt for gold, he warns the men that gold can change a man and push him onto the path of madness. Howard teaches the men how to mine gold and tries to keep the peace when Dobbs starts to get paranoid about his gold. It may be believed that “[h]oward is knowledgeable about mining and human nature, ethical in his conduct, reasonable in his dealings with men, aware of his own weaknesses, committed to helping others in the group develop a similar awareness and, through the film's end, fully aware of life's essential dilemma... middle of the paper... Kane's struggle will result in complete disgust with his city after they did nothing to help him defeat Miller when the The real problem was simply between the two men, not between the city. Even though Miller had brought destruction to the city, Kane was the one who truly wanted to defeat him for his righteousness. Ultimately, both characters sought their own rational self-interest but at the same time benefited their community. Howard maintained his personal conduct and helped his partners while Marshall Kane protected his future and morality. Both of their actions stemmed from good intentions, with the exception of Howard's agreement to murder. While Kane fought for his own self-interest, Howard almost provided a promising future through gold mining for Dobbs and Curtin. They remained loyal and helpful to their community, but ultimately had ulterior motives.