The moral philosophy the Protagonist must learn: live the right way — and the only one that leads to Heaven on Earth.
Applies to: All story types
Definition
The philosophy rooted in morality: live the right way. Be honest. Trust your Talent. Take responsibility. The Universe’s Law is embodied by the Universe and demonstrated by the Muse. It directly opposes the King’s Law and is what the Protagonist must learn to follow to reach Heaven on Earth.
The Universe's Law is not stated — it is demonstrated. The Muse lives by it without knowing they are teaching it. The Protagonist absorbs it by watching, failing, and eventually choosing it.
Why This Term Matters
The Universe's Law is the answer the story is built around. Every sequence in the second half of the story tests whether the Protagonist has truly understood it. The climax of the story is always a moment when the Protagonist must choose the Universe's Law over the King's Law at great personal cost — and the Kind Universe rewards them for it.
The Two Laws Are Always Direct Opposites
The Universe's Law is not just generally moral — it is specifically the inversion of the King's Law. If the King's Law is "hide who you are," the Universe's Law is "be exactly who you are." If the King's Law is "follow orders," the Universe's Law is "make your own moral judgments." This specificity is what gives the story its thematic precision.
In a Kind Comedy — Examples
Ratatouille: Gusteau's Law — "Anyone can cook" — is the Universe's Law. It means: trust your Talent, cook openly, be exactly who you are regardless of what the world says is possible. It is the direct opposite of Django's Law (hide, conceal, survive by deception).
In Bruges: The Universe's Law in this story is something like: choose mercy over the code; exercise your own moral judgment; value human life above loyalty to any system. It is the direct opposite of Harry's Law (honour the code above all else, no exceptions).
In a Kind Tragedy
The Universe's Law is the same — but the Protagonist refuses to follow it. The Heroic Antagonist follows it instead, and wins.
In a Cruel Universe
The Universe's Law is inverted. What the Cruel Universe rewards is not honesty and openness but vice and self-interest. The "Law" the Cruel Universe enforces is survival of the most ruthless.
Related Articles
- Why Outlining a Story Feels Impossible — how the Universe’s values define all four story types
Learn More
The Universe’s Law is introduced in the free Fundamentals Course and developed in full in the Kind Comedy Course, including how it is embodied by the Muse and spoken through the Universe.