What is the role of using underscores in method names in Python?

In Python, underscores in method and variable names are used to indicate access level and special properties:

• Single underscore at the beginning (_method) — a convention indicating that the method or attribute is "protected", intended for internal use within the class or module, but not strictly private.
• Double underscore at the beginning (__method) — triggers name mangling, making it harder to access the method or attribute from outside the class, thus making it more private.
• Underscore at the end (method_) — used to avoid conflicts with Python keywords.

Example:

class MyClass:
    def _protected_method(self):
        print("This is a protected method")

    def __private_method(self):
        print("This is a private method")

obj = MyClass()
obj._protected_method()  # Can be called, but by convention not recommended
# obj.__private_method()  # Error, method not directly accessible

Underscores are a convention to indicate intended access level, but do not enforce it.