It is an expectation that they live. Most of them feel it is their responsibility to act as such because there is no passion to oppose it. However, once a character receives an injection of passion, like Cal and Cathy, he is determined to reach the end goal because he has something that pushes him in that direction. Their passion is the force that drives them to move, to be in motion, to change. In this case, Cal and Cathy are passionate about finding the goodness in themselves. They want to redeem themselves and try to fight against fate and expectations. Choosing passion over responsibility allows them to fight against themselves