Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Great Lady" paragraph

Atticus Finch considers Mrs. Dubose a great lady because he is tolerant. He knows how to look past every person's mean ways and how to see the good inside them. He also tries to teach his children to do the same. For example on page 144 when he says

"I certainly am [a nigger lover]. I do my best to love everybody. . .I'm hard to put, sometimes-baby, it's never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you know how poor that person is, it doesn't hurt you. So don't let Mrs. Dubose get you down. She has enough troubles of her own. "

Atticus knows she is a great lady because he is able to see past her nasty ways. Atticus sees an old lady who enjoys reading and flowers and has had many experiences in her life. In the quotation, Atticus is teaching Scout how to keep an open mind and avoid prejudice. As a man raising two children, he may not be conventional, but he raises them better than anyone in Maycomb.