It's not easy having the most respectable, upstanding man in the county as a father. It makes it harder to be a difficult child because disappointing a man like Atticus is worse than getting a licking. However, for Jem, it's the same thing. He's never received a beating or a spanking from Atticus, and as he explains it to Scout, he never wants to be a candidate for one. On the night that the children go over to the Radley's backyard, Jem loses his pants when they are caught in the fence during the escape. After everyone goes to sleep, Jem decides to go back for his pants so he won't have to face his father without them in the morning. Scout begs him not to go, but he says the following:
"I--it's like this, Scout. . . Atticus ain't ever whipped me since I can remember. I wanta keep it that way. . . I just wanta keep it that way Scout. We shouldn'a done that tonight" (56).
The above passage demonstrates Jem's regret for what he did that night. Atticus had told them to stay away from the Radley house and Jem knew he blatantly disregarded his father's commands--and he suffered for it, too. For Scout, she's a daddy's girl and tries her best to obey him. After defending his honor with cousin Francis, she overhears Atticus discuss his daughter with Uncle Jack as follows:
"Bad language is a stage all children go through, and it dies with time when they learn they're not attracting attention with it. Hotheadedness isn't. Scout's got to learn to keep her head and learn soon, with what's in store for her these next few months. She's coming along, though. Jem's getting older and she follows his example a good bit now. All she needs is assistance sometimes" (87-88).
Who would want to disappoint such an understanding father as shown in the passage above? Atticus is intelligent, patient, and long-suffering; so if there ever came a time that one of his children disappointed him to no end, that would be a dreadful day.
Miss Maudie probably says it best though--about Atticus. She knows him probably better than the kids because she's known him longer and understands him better. And even if the kids can't say it with words, they can sure feel what Miss Maudie says about Atticus's character that would make anyone never want to disappoint him. Miss Maudie explains how important Atticus is the day after the trial:
"We're the safest folks in the world. . . We're so rarely called on to be Christians, but when we are, we've got men like Atticus to go for us" (215).
With a neighbor saying such respectful things about one's father like that, it would certainly cause some significant guilt if one of his children were caught disappointing him. Atticus is not only a good father and man, but he's respected by the community as well--even if some of them weren't so respectful during the Tom Robinson trial. The point is, as Scout puts it, "Atticus don't ever do anything to Jem and me in the house that he don't do in the yard" (46). He's an honorable man who should be respected, not disappointed by his children.
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