The Southern Gentleman is a man of honor.  His word is his bond.

The gentleman does not obey only the letter of an agreement, but the full spirit of an agreement.  He is bound by his honor to deliver to other parties of an agreement, whether written or not, the full reasonable expectation of that party, not just the bare minimum that meets the precise degree of what is written.

A gentleman does what is right.  He is not like the lawyer who lives strictly by the letter of the law, using the law to his own advantage, but instead he goes beyond the law to do what is morally right.

He has respect for his family name, and would do nothing to discredit the good reputation that has followed him through the appropriate behavior of his forefathers.  If he has not been blessed by such a reputation of name, he reverses this ill fortune, and represents his family name and his forefathers in a respectable manner, as a gift to his own children.