Which Mantle?

Poem-A-Day Day 27 Prompt: Two-fer Tuesday.  Write a hero poem.  Write a villain poem.

Which mantle shall I put on for this story?
I have the capacity for both,
for small-scale heroics, at least,
and for minor villainies, too.

Find yourself in the slough
and I’ll come to your rescue.
But two steps in another direction
and I might take you down.

We choose the one path,
but the other will often come to bear.
Even Fagin had a warmth.
Even Arthur had his secrets.