Sam Vimes doesn't have a romantic bone in his body, and he's embarrassed at showing softer emotions, but if Sybil asked him to walk on glass or break his arm he would do it. Not out of vitimhood complex or any self esteem issues, but she never asks for anything other than he come home safe every night and she loves him with everything inside her. She would never ask, but he would if she did.
She saw him at the lowest point of his life and still saw something honorable and good and worth loving, and that was EVERYTHING to Sam.
And Sybil sees such a kind man almost broken by the world because he Cares. So. Damn. Much. He cares for the voiceless and downtrodden. He cares, really cares, about justice. Sam Vimes would arrest the gods if he could, for all the needless suffering in the world. He cares so much he burns incandescent with the need to bring justice and light to a dark and gritty world. He sees the lowest of humanity, the most evil, the most petty and banal mundane sins people commit when they think they can get away with it, and he continues to fight and rise each morning, raging at the injustice and working to making the world a little bit better.
Sam doesn't see himself that way at all, all he sees is his worst traits and marinates in his cynicism, but he tries to be a better man not only for her, his son, and his comrades (found family) but also for himself. So he can look at himself in the mirror each morning and know he did his best.
AND THE BOOKS NEVER OVERTLY STATE ALL THIS
it's picked up here and there, small conversations and gestures, but it's there and just ughhhhhh
