History Characters / Rent

* EverybodysDeadDave: This is what he fears will be his ultimate fate as many of his close friends succumb to AIDS while others like Joanne and Maureen will turn to each other for comfort and to start a new life. Summed up in these lines:
--> '''Roger''': You pretend to create and observe when you really detach from feeling alive!
--> '''Mark''': Perhaps it's because I'm the one of us to survive!

* CynicismCatalyst: Well... how would you take it if your girlfriend left a note saying "We got AIDS" before committing suicide?

** Out-of-universe, his decision to quit the tabloid can come off as this to viewers. Some see it as being an act that shows how much he's willing to commit to his craft, while others see him as being a bit of a spoiled brat who seem to think he's "selling out" despite having a job most people trying to make a living out of their art would ''kill'' for.

* ButchLesbian: She's not completely masculine, but she's mostly seen wearing suits and ties.

* ILied: When he became their landlord, he told Mark and Roger that they could stay in the building for free. When they confront him after receiving an eviction notice demanding all of the unpaid rent at once, he claims he just "let [the unpaid rent] slide".

* ILied: When he became their landlord, he told Mark and Roger that they could stay in the building for free, and then he goes back on his word. When confronted about this, he claims he just "let it slide".

* AnythingThatMoves: She flirts with anyone of any gender, even when she's with her boyfriend/girlfriend.

* AdultFear: In the play, her mother leaves a voicemail in Spanish, desperately asking where she is.

* BuryYourGays: [[spoiler:Angel is the only main character of the show who finally succumbs to AIDS. The montage of her deteriorating health during ''Without You'' is absolutely [[TearJerker gut-wrenching]].]]

* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler: During her funeral]], Maureen recalls how Angel confronted a skin-head that was harassing her by saying, "I'm more of a man than you'll ever be, and more woman than you'll ever get."

* IconicItem: His black and white scarf, and red and blue jumper.

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* OlderAndWiser: Compared to Mimi. As a former musician and junkie, he clearly disapproves of Mimi's drug addiction and tries his best to convince her from making the same mistakes he did. When he learns that she's been feeding her addiction behind his back, their relationship suffers as a result.

* JewishAndNerdy: Pretty cultured (Insulting Roger by saying he's playing a riff on Musetta's waltz), much more reserved in personality then his friends, and he learned to tango at the Scarsdale Jewish Community center with the rabbi's daughter in comparison to Joanne's much more glamorous description of learning from an ambassador's daughter at a boarding school.

* CynicismCatalyst: Well… how would you take it if your girlfriend left a note saying "We got AIDS" before committing suicide?

* AmbiguousGenderIdentity: Usually referred to with female pronouns, but doesn't seem to mind masculine ones. Maybe a DragQueen, maybe CampGay, maybe trans, maybe non-binary, maybe a WholesomeCrossdresser… who knows.

* AmbiguousGenderIdentity: Usually referred to with female pronouns, but doesn't seem to mind masculine ones. Maybe a DragQueen, maybe CampGay, maybe {{Transgender}}, maybe non-binary, maybe a WholesomeCrossdresser… who knows.
* [[spoiler:BuryYourGays]]: [[spoiler:Angel is the only main character of the show who finally succumbs to AIDS. The montage of her deteriorating health during ''Without You'' is absolutely [[TearJerker gut-wrenching]].]]