Warning: spoilers for Nightwing #82 are ahead.
For Nightwing, being better than Batman is an ongoing challenge that Dick Grayson has taken on in DC Comics. Though his life has not been without its fair share of tragedy, several members of the Bat-Family and beyond look towards Dick as a well-adjusted role model who provides an important alternative to Bruce Wayne. This has been directly addressed in the current Nightwing run by writer Tom Taylor, artist Bruno Redondo, colorist Adriano Lucas, and letterer Wes Abbott, which is shaping up to be one of the best takes on the character yet. Showcasing the essence of Dick Grayson's character, including his improvements on many of Batman's flaws, this back-to-basics approach reminds fans of why they love Nightwing in the first place.
Nightwing #82 brings all this to the forefront, as Nightwing demonstrates that he understands one of the greatest weapons in Batman's arsenal, fear, far better than the Caped Crusader himself. After breaking into Melinda Zucco's home and getting beaten up by her bodyguard, Nightwing called off the back-up from the rest of the Bat-Family and their allies. Even though his friends and family thought his life was in imminent danger, Dick said it was not unreasonable that Zucco's people acted in the way that they did, stating that, "They defended themselves from a masked man who broke into their home."
Despite the fact that he was attacked and had his identity as Dick Grayson revealed to Melinda Zucco, Nightwing does not hold it against her for reacting the way that she did, because he understands that fear makes people react in ways that they otherwise wouldn't. Unlike Batman, Nightwing tends to not take things personally and does not let the response that Melinda had to his break-in color his judgment of her. This contrasts sharply with Batman, who is open about using fear as a weapon in his fight against crime, but often misreads people and punishes them when they are scared by his tactics.
The difference that Nightwing has from Batman in his approach as a superhero is that he understands that sometimes the best solution is not to escalate a fight, but to listen to those who have not gotten the chance to speak. Not every conflict can be solved through intimidation, physical force, or psychological terror, and Nightwing benefits massively from his ability to talk his way through a difficult situation.
This current turn for Nightwing has shown how averse Dick Grayson is to intimidating people as a means of gathering information. And while Batman is known as the world's greatest detective, he has, on numerous occasions, gotten information out of people by scaring them. In Nightwing #79, Dick was mortified after he inadvertently frightened children at a homeless encampment due to his masked appearance. This prompted him to send his puppy, Haley, and Tim Drake's Robin in the next issue to gather information on Blüdhaven's new villain, Heartless, on his behalf because, "People are more approachable with a lovable dog."
The greatest lesson that Nightwing has learned about fear is that he can do plenty of good for people without making them afraid of him. This builds on his existing characterization as the member of the Bat-Family who is supposed to be "better than Batman" in his activities as a superhero. That said, with a new type of threat on the horizon with the upcoming Fear State event, fans will soon get a glimpse of how this will play out for him as Scarecrow launches a new fear-based attack. If their relationship to fear is what separates Nightwing and Batman, then their response to its weaponization will be even more telling of their fundamental differences.