Discuss several ways in which Homer uses his tale to illustrate moral values that were important to his culture of his time.

Homer uses his tale to illustrate the moral value of loyalty, a virtue important to his culture. Penelope, who waits twenty years for her husband's return, is the picture of the loyal wife. She devises stratagems to evade the addresses of the many suitors who vie for her hand in marriage. The suitors may believe Odysseus is dead, but Penelope never wavers in expecting her husband to return safely to her. Telemachus also remains loyal to his father, siding with his mother against the mass of suitors. The swineherd named Eumaeus and the cowherd, Philoetius, also stay faithful to Odysseus and guard his possessions well. All of these characters model behavior the Greeks valued highly.
Although Odysseus is often violent and displays the courage of a brave warrior, he also shows he has a loving, compassionate side. For example, he mourns the friends lost in the Trojan War. When Demodocus plays his harp and sings a song to commemorate the war, Odysseus cries from grief. Despite writing warrior epics, Homer never loses sight of the toll violence takes nor of the desire of his culture for the rewards of the quiet, joyful times that peace brings. Odysseus displays the moral value of compassion and caring that are part of a civilized, peaceful society.
Odysseus also illustrates the importance of persevering. Against all the odds, and Odysseus faces many, he never gives up on his quest to return home. A less valiant person might have lost hope and simply settled somewhere during his arduous journey, tired of the fighting and conflict. However, even when Odysseus is held captive for seven years by the nymph goddess Calypso, and even when she offers him immortality, he perseveres in his desire to return to Penelope and his homeland.