Arthur Morgan is an extremely complex character, and while he might have done some good things with his life, he’s also done a whole lot of bad that needs to be understood. Red Dead Redemption 2 is beautifully complex with its character-rich stories, and Arthur Morgan takes the cake as one of the greatest protagonists of all time.
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Yet, Arthur Morgan is a demon, and throughout Red Dead Redemption 2, Arthur Morgan has committed some truly dishonorable acts that prove why he might have such low honor at the end of his run, and these actions are imperative to understanding his character.
Spoilers ahead for Red Dead Redemption 2!
Some of these choices are canon, whereas others are player-driven.
7
Leaving His Son Behind
Arthur’s Son, Isaac, Was Killed in a Robbery While Arthur Was Away
Life as an outlaw is no place for a child, and that might be the reason why Arthur didn’t see his son, Isaac all that much. However, it’s clear that despite Arthur saying that he would help in any way he could for the mother of his child, Eliza, it’s clear that it wasn’t enough, as the next time he went into their town, he found two graves with their names on them.
Arthur’s son, and his son’s mother were both killed in a robbery for a measly $10. These deaths, and Isaac’s in particular, must have impacted Arthur hard and made him realize the importance of family, which explains his resentment toward John Marston. However, it’s still pretty dishonorable to leave Isaac behind, even if Arthur was an outlaw, he had a son who needed a father.
6
Refusing to Help Rains Fall
Arthur Abandons Those Who Need Him For Selfish Reasons
Rains Fall is the epitome of a good man in an indecent time. He is a Native American who just wants to look after his people on a reservation that’s being further snuffed and shrunk by the U.S. Army for their racial resentment towards Natives, and as such, he asks for the help of Charles Smith, a Van der Linde gang member who’s mother is a Native American.
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Charles asks Arthur for help, but Arthur strongly declines, implying that because of his illness, he just doesn’t have the time nor the care to help others, and instead wants to keep an eye on Dutch. Staying blindly loyal to Dutch and refusing to do what matters presents Arthur with a selfish choice, showing how he’s no different from the criminals in the gang.
5
Abandoning John Marston to Get the Money
Refuse to Help John Marston Escape to His Family For A Pot Of Gold
The finale of Arthur’s story has him cornered at Beaver Hollow by the Pinkertons, and the choice is clear: Help John Marston escape so he can be with his family, or stay and fight to get the money that’s stashed away in the cave. Those seeking the lowest honor possible in Red Dead Redemption 2 will selfishly abandon John Marston and go back for the money as if Arthur’s illness isn’t going to be his end soon enough.
What occurs next is a confrontation with Pinkertons, Micah, and Dutch, where Micah and Arthur will have a fight to the death. Yet, Arthur isn’t strong enough anymore to win, and Arthur would have died for nothing. No brother, no money, no grief.
4
Killing Witnesses Like Jimmy Brooks
Arthur Kills Anyone Who Inconveniences Him
Leaving Blackwater in such a mess meant that the Van der Linde gang had to head East instead of West, and keep a low profile as they attempt to gain money and escape. However, a man in Valentine recognizes Arthur’s face, and Jimmy Brooks is chased off a cliff by Arthur so that the law cannot be told of the man who came to Blackwater.
If Arthur wants to keep a low profile, then he will let Jimmy Brooks fall off the cliff to his death, ending an innocent man, and leaving a widow at home to raise their children. Could Arthur really be so cruel as to kill an innocent man just because he might recognize him?
3
Deciding Not to Help Sadie Adler Avenge Her Husband
Sadie is a Widow Out for Revenge, and Arthur Can Reject Her Call
Sadie Adler lost her husband to the O’Driscolls, and she cannot move on from her grief. Her husband’s death was unjust, and he was a good man, which is why Sadie wants to make them all pay with hellfire from both barrels of her revolvers, and who does she ask for help in this endeavor? The man who saved her – Arthur Morgan.
Arthur can reject Sadie, and refuse to help her fight the O’Driscolls, leading to her attempting to do it all on her lonesome. Arthur’s rejection shows how selfish he is, and how afraid he is to die with his TB diagnosis, that he will send his friends off to face death alone as if the same won’t happen to him when the time comes.
2
Shooting Up the Town of Strawberry to Free Micah
Saving Micah Bell Is One Thing, But Shooting Up A Whole Town Is Another
Nobody wants to save Micah Bell, and it’s a mission that most leave for the end of Chapter 2. Let him rot in Strawberry and let him fear the gallows with each passing day. However, a time will come when Arthur does have to rescue Micah, and while he doesn’t seem too pleased with it, he still has to do it, and the repayment for that is Micah literally shooting up the whole town.
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Micah and Arthur fight through Strawberry, killing plenty of lawmen as Micah returns to a house to kill the man and woman who had taken his revolvers. If Arthur was a good man, he would have shot Micah there and then, or at least fled the town to avoid countless deaths striking Strawberry like a bullet-ridden plague.
1
Beating Innocent Folk Who Owe Money
Harming Innocent People for Debt Collections is Dirty Business
Arthur Morgan robbing and killing people is pretty bad and dishonorable, but perhaps nothing is more dishonorable than the loan shark business that Leopold Strauss has gotten the Van der Linde gang involved with. Strauss heads into town to find poor and innocent folk who are down on their luck and gives them a loan, and then Arthur comes in to re-collect the payment with extra.
It’s a dirty business to give hope to the weak and then take it away tenfold, and the fact that Arthur does this so willingly shows that he doesn’t really care all that much about innocent people, and uses the excuse that they deserve it if they took the money in the first place and couldn’t pay it back.
- Released
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October 26, 2018