The word “needed” is deployed in literature to convey a variety of necessities—both tangible and abstract—that shape character actions and narrative outcomes. In some works the term underscores a practical requirement: for instance, a president relies on services that are unexpectedly “needed” ([1]), while in military and strategic texts, methods or materials “needed” support the success of a campaign ([2], [3]). In other cases, “needed” highlights an internal, sometimes emotional, necessity as characters seek to feel complete or comforted, as when a character claims that only what is “needed” completes them ([4], [5]), or when a piece of proof is all that is “needed” for conviction ([6]). Even in more abstract musings, such as Kant’s assertion that no further explanation is “needed” ([7]) or Rousseau’s observation that certain individuals “needed” no masters ([8]), the word functions as a subtle yet potent marker of sufficiency and imperativeness in human affairs.