Do you agree that most people in To Kill a Mockingbird are nice once you see them? How is Atticus able to see the good side of people...... despite...

At the end of the novel, and in response to Scout's
summary of The Gray Ghost, Atticus remarks that most people are
good "when you finally see them."  In this context, most readers connect this statement
with Scout's perception of Boo Radley--the mysterious neighbor who saved Scout's life
(and who turned out NOT to be as scary as the children had thought).  However, it is
evident, from other information in the text, that the belief that all people are
basically good is one that Atticus holds firmly. 

A perfect
example comes in Chapter 15, when Atticus is accosted by a mob outside the jail where
Tom Robinson is being kept.  At the center of the mob is Walter Cunningham, Atticus's
client and the father of Scout's schoolmate.  It becomes clear that the men have come to
kill Tom Robinson, and Scout's innocence is the only thing that seems to be able to stop
them. 

The children are shocked by the fact that Mr.
Cunningham seemed willing to hurt Atticus in order to get to Tom, and Jem says, "I
thought Mr. Cunningham was a friend of ours...But last night he wanted to hurt you."  In
response, Atticus says,

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Mr. Cunningham's basically a good man.  He just
has his blind spots along with the rest of
us.

When Jem is unwilling to
accept this explanation, Atticus says,

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Son, you'll understand folks a little better
when you're older.  A mob's always made up of people, no matter what.  Mr. Cunningham
was part of a mob last night, but he was still a man.  Every mob in every little
Southern town is always made up of people you know--doesn't say much for them, does
it? 

In other words, Atticus
understands the strength that comes from being in a group, and is generally forgiving of
Mr. Cunningham's behavior because Mr. Cunningham is ultimately a good man who just got
caught up in the mob mentality. 

Ultimately, Atticus's
lesson to his children is that "you can never really understand a person until you
consider things from his point of view--until you climb into his skin and walk around in
it."  Recognizing the good in people is what makes Atticus so tolerant of their "blind
spots."