What lesson do you think Atticus wants Jem to learn by having him read to Mrs. Dubose?

In chapter 11 Jem and scout are going into town to make a couple of small purchases. On the way to town Mrs. Dubose says very hurtful things to the kids, including calling their father a "nigger lover." The kids, especially Jem are hurt by these words and upon returning home and passing her house Jem uses Scout's new baton and destroys Mrs. Duboses flowers. A bit after arriving home he Atticus finds out what Jem did and tells him to apologize to Mrs. Dubose and that he must read read to her every afternoon. This was done so that Jem and Scout can learn what real courage looks like. Mrs. Dubose is a morhine addict and wants to die owing, "Nothing to anything." This means beating her addiction! Atticus wants Jem and Scout to see that courage, real courage, does not come with a gun but from someones will to do something good.

In chapter 11, Jem loses his temper and destroys Mrs. Dubose's camellia bush after she calls Atticus a "nigger-lover." When Atticus returns home from work, he makes Jem apologize to Mrs. Dubose and tells Jem that he must read to Mrs. Dubose for two hours each day after school and on Saturdays for an entire month. Jem ends up reading to Mrs. Dubose each day for an entire month and notices that she pays attention to his reading at longer intervals of time each session. After Jem serves his punishment, Mrs. Dubose ends up passing away, and Atticus tells his son that his reading helped Mrs. Dubose conquer her morphine addiction. Atticus also tells Jem,

"I wanted you to see something about her—I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew" (Lee, 115).

Overall, Atticus wants Jem to learn about "real courage" by reading to Mrs. Dubose and helping her conquer her morphine addiction. He wants Jem to see how Mrs. Dubose handles adversity in hopes that her courage will leave an indelible impression on his son.