On the redemption/atonement front, from a recent Superman comic with the Blue Earth anti-alien hate group, when Kenan Kong objects briefly to saving the life of one of the Blue Earth zealots who's been severely injured, Superman (Clark Kent/Kal-El)'s response is basically, "If he dies, he never gets the chance to be a better person. If he dies, this is all he ever gets to be."
Also sums up so much of humanity in general, I'd say, given how good we are at coming up with increasingly petty and silly reasons to judge and hate and fight (and even kill) each other.