" Atonement does not always directly help the one we have sinned against. It does not always help anyone at all. Had Boromir run of with Aragorn, he could have been of greater help in tracking the orcs after Merry and Pippin were captured than he was in giving his life to defend them. "

― Mark Eddy Smith , Tolkien's Ordinary Virtues: Exploring the Spiritual Themes of the Lord of the Rings