With few exceptions, such as the notable attention given to being ‘born again/from above’ from John 3, the bibliography on the New Testament’s conversion and repentance tends to focus on Paul and to leave aside the Fourth Gospel. The question hence arises as to whether and how such a concept can be assessed, given that the expected conversional vocabulary is missing from the Fourth Gospel. It might be then more convenient to assume a literary criticism approach rather than one subscribed to historical criticism. The focus will be here on the characters of John, since in Jesus’ dialogues there is a sharp contrast between what even the most benevolent interlocutor says or does and what is really expected from him. The underlying question will therefore be whether – and if so, how – the benevolent characters in the Fourth Gospel form models for conversional exigencies.