When his ships arrive at the land of the Lotus-eaters, Odysseus intelligently sends only three men to investigate the inhabitants. This way, he only sacrifices three men if the natives are violent (which they are not). When those three eat the lotus offered to them, they no longer care to return home, and Odysseus must forcibly drag them back to the ship. He could simply have left them there and saved himself the trouble, but his loyalty to them and their families (who are waiting for them back home) compelled him to save them from themselves. This shows his compassion as well.
Although Odysseus certainly does make some missteps with Polyphemus, the Cyclops, he does display his forethought and bravery when he realizes that he cannot kill the monster but will have to wound him instead. Although Odysseus could kill him, he realizes that there will be no one to lift the stone from the door to the cave and that he and his men will perish inside. Instead, he devises a plan to get the monster drunk and then stab him with a sharp stake in his one eye, blinding him. This will mean that he is still capable of moving the stone but less able to catch Odysseus and his men. This plan is ingenious and thoughtful; a man with less forethought might simply have killed the monster and condemned himself and his crew to certain death.
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