What we see between Locke and Hobbes is the difference between the Romantic and Classical notions of humanity.

The Romantic view shows Man as innately good, benevolent and generous. He is only made evil by circumstances - mistreatment, cruelty, too much poverty or too much wealth. As Frankensteins' Creature tells him "I was benevolent and good. Misery made me a fiend." Lockes' Social Contract is based on the concept of fundamental goodness.

The Classical view is that man is by nature selfish, cruel and stupid, and that it is the duty of those who have managed to acquire greater wisdom and virtue to rule the others. It is based on the Judeo-Christian notion of Original Sin. That the misdeeds of Adam and Eve permanently corrupted the entire race and that those who had overcome this were chosen by God. It was a view shared by Machiavelli, who cautioned those wishing to form a government to begin from the assumption that 'all people are bad'.

Assumptions of the natural goodness or natural evil of people still lie at the base of much political thinking.