One can see by examining Dunstan dodging the snowball, and Dunstan's effect on Paul's future, that Roberston Davies's novel Fifth Business examines that everyone is fifth business at a point one's life; people may not be heroic or have an epic impact on others, but everyone's role is significant. In the novel, Dunstan is remorsing on the guilt that he has for paul's birth and mary's condition. "I have been cast by fate and my own character for the vital though never glorious role of fifth business. Who could not, indeed, comprehend what fifth business is, even if he should meet the player of that part in his own life drama.  From this quote one can see that Dunstan is explaining the role of fifth business, everyone plays fifth business now and again. Many overestimate their own importance in life, unaware of their tiny role in one's life. Being fifth business is not a bad role, one influences other's future or life greatly; for example Dunstan dodging a simple snowball. It does not mean that one's "fate  is to be fifth business, you can also be the main character or do something heroic when you take control of yr life. Dunstan dodging a snowball has changed the whole Dempster family's future and caused tremendous guilt to Dunstan himself. The role of fifth business that he played at this time has changed his life completely. A simple act of dodging a snowball, changing the lives of four different people, one of them has not been born yet. When Dunstan and Percy are having a snowball fight outside right before supper, Mary and Amasa seem to be out on a walk. Dunstan knew Percy would try to throw one last one so he dodged the snowball and hit Mary, " I stepped briskly-not running, but not dawdling-in front of the Dempsters just as Percy threw, and the snowball hit Mrs Dempster in the back of the head . This act of dodging a snowball caused the early birth of Mary's child, Paul.