This is such an interesting question, Scott. And, I must say, despite dozens of viewings of "The Wizard of Oz," it never dawned on me that Dorothy was an orphan. I think I always thought she was just visiting her grandparents ... or, there for a brief time. I hope I'm not the only one who missed this! Yikes! Anyway ... My favorite film is "V for Vendetta." And, I'm gonna' go with both Evey Hammond and V being protagonists in the film. What would their story-world look like had they not crossed paths? My take: Evey's immediate fate would have been terrible, as without meeting V, she would have been raped by the Fingermen in the alley. I can't fathom what life would have been following that event. For the sake of your question though, let's pull that scene out of the scenario. If she hadn't met V, I think she would have gone on to lead a fairly nondescript life, yet one where fear was a constant, no matter how muted. She would also not be involved in any of V's revolutionary activities, of course - watching from the sidelines instead, with all other Britons. Concerning V ... without Evey, he would've likely still been successful in blowing up Parliament. But he might not have eliminated The Chancellor and Creedy. Her presence allowed him to remove these two obstacles to lasting change by trading his life for theirs. Without her in the picture, V's successes would have been limited. Also, a lot of people would have died the night of Parliament's destruction, because Creedy and The Chancellor would have been available to issue shoot-to-kill orders. In short, V's revolution would have only just begun. Cheers, D