We often think of rats as sombre characters — victims of poison and carriers of the black plague. For good reason. Wild rats are disgusting. I worked for a kitchen one time that had to close down due to a rat infestation. You'll be spared the grisly details, but my opinion of rats was forever changed after that event.
Despite this, I can't believe rats are pure evil. What animal can be if evil if it laughs when you tickle it? For sure, there is such a thing as evil laughter. But such laughter is not a result of tickling.
With this in mind, perhaps the Middle Ages would have been a lot better if someone sent a stand-up comedian who could communicate with rats through rodent squeaks.
