We can kill an NPC, pillage their villages and steal their goods. We can trade. But we cant be heroes - We can't save them. There is no possible way to heal an NPC (well except for baptising everyone with healing water everytime someone gets hurt). There should be an option to heal an NPC by giving them a healing bandage, or telling them to go to sleep, or somehow alike. Even if this would be like glowing RED CROSS mark over damaged NPC in place where the Quest mark would be otherwise. Press E with a healing or food item to heal/feed them.