This was a major milestone in the Hero's Journey as it helped Odysseus discover and meet new friends, mentors, enemies, challenges, skills and new knowledge. This self-knowledge began with the fact that Odysseus had no friends who trusted him. The main reason for this is that, in book nine, Odysseus doesn't make any new friends, given the fact that he has a hard time letting his pride stop him from believing that someone is actually good enough to be friends with him. . Here it is clearly expressed that he was too boastful to depend on anyone. This is important because not only does it avoid dependence, but it also avoids the trust placed in it. If he's too selfish, no one will believe his word, because they'll think it's all about him and not them. The part of the epic that identifies this is where Odysseus gives specific instructions to his crew not to open the bag that was given by Aeolus. Only Odysseus knew that the bag contained powerful winds that could help them reach Ithaca, but this is hidden from the crew. They had already identified Odysseus as selfish, so they expected the bag to be filled with treasures, and as humanity is, they wanted some too. To readers' surprise, everything changes the minute he enters Ithaca. He is greeted by his dog Argos and was helped by a kind shepherd who filled Ulysses.