I think it's a human tendency that's been around for a while to try to be as good as possible to prove your worth.
Veronica RothOur eyes meet. I hear a train horn, so faint it could be wind whistling through an alleyway. But I know it when I hear it. It sounds like the Dauntless, calling me to to them.
Veronica RothI might be in love with you." He smiles a little. "I'm waiting until I'm sure to tell you, though.
Veronica RothWhen you're a teenager, everything seems like the end of the world, and I don't think that's necessarily a silly thing. You're waking up and becoming aware that the world has problems and those problems affect you, whereas when you're young they don't seem to affect you that much even if you're aware of them. This dystopian trend picks up on that little part of your life where everything feels really extreme and it honors that part of your life and says, "Yeah. It is the end of the world. Look at it."
Veronica Roth