A brilliant description of loss and gain happened to Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit by JRR Tolkien:
"The Bagginses have lived in the neighbourhood of The Hill ... and people considered them very respectable, ... because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected ... This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbours' respect, but he gained -- well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end."
