Stoicism: The Bull and the Lion

What does this recurring image symbolize for the philosophy?

In Tom Wolfe’s novel, A Man in Full (1998), two of the leading characters become enthusiastic followers of Epictetus’ Stoicism. They are inspired by his references to the image of a strong bull who naturally steps forward to protect the weaker members of the herd from attack by a lion. Indeed, one of the chapters entitled “The Bull and the Lion”, contai…