By identifying with story characters, we can "practice" feeling empathy for those very different from us.
As the police are closing in, Norman Bates tries to hide Marion’s body in her car, which he pushes into a swamp. The viewer watches breathlessly as the car slowly sinks deeper and deeper. But then for an agonizing moment, it suddenly stops sinking.that Bates will be caught by the police because he won’t successfully get rid of the body. Then, at the last moment, the car starts sinking again and disappears. The viewer breathes a sigh of relief. Hitchcock has made us an accomplice to the killer.
Not only in the realm of movies but in books as well, stories allow us to feel emotional connections to story characters. We begin to feel empathy for them.