Hanson Family | Other Characters
Members of the Hanson Family.
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The Hanson Family (in general)
- Dysfunctional Family: A total mess. There is little to no peace under the roof of their small townhouse in downtown Baltimore, with the abusive Simon tormenting his two young sons while their doting mother Jinny has to fight him tooth and nail over his alcoholism.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Reflected with the two Hanson boys. Between Ryan and Mark, Ryan is far more responsible, level-headed and pragmatic, while Mark likes to match his older brother by putting on a swagger and a bit of an attitude to make himself look more mature, often used as a coping mechanism to hide his own fears and insecurities.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Ryan is the phlegmatic, Mark is the eclectic, Jinny is the melancholic, and Simon is the choleric.
- Perpetual Poverty: Ryan and his family are constantly shown as impoverished, initially living in a rented house in the dismal streets of downtown Baltimore while barely surviving on a hand-to-mouth existence.
Immediate Family and Household
Ryan Hanson
Ryan Hanson is a boy who has known very little happiness, born into a world of poverty and to the care of a relationship made toxic with hate and animosity. In this capacity, he has learned quickly that love is rare, and has made it his goal to protect his younger brother, Mark from the worst of the violence; sometimes even taking the fall for him.
- Adorably Precocious Child: Ryan has a wisdom and maturity beyond his years, even despite his mental woes due to the abuse of his father. He finds as many rational solutions to problems as he can, and faces down adversity with quiet efficiency and reservation.
- The All-American Boy: To follow the general theme, Ryan is American, white, blond-haired, blue eyed, loves basketball, and loves his mother dearly.
- All-Loving Hero: Ryan shows no apparent malice to anyone, even those who abuse and scorn him like his father.
- Angst: Due to his upbringing, Ryan has a strong sense of this.
- Big Brother Instinct: Ryan proves himself as both a protective and caring older brother to Mark.
- Big Brother Mentor: Ryan is this to Mark.
- Break the Cutie: Ryan on multiple occasions.
- Children Are Innocent: Inverted. Ryan is well accustomed to the dirtier aspects of life, and it's likely that he's never known a true day of childhood innocence in his life.
- The Cutie: Despite his upbringing, Ryan is a very kind and polite young boy, his charms frequently commented upon by the adult characters in his life.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Ryan has known little happiness in his life, and is the centre of his father's abuse.
- Desperately Craves Affection: As he and Shirley take a walk in the park, he wishes that he could gain a fragment of his father's love.
- Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: Ryan frequently demonstrates this, staring sadly out at an uncaring world.
- The Dutiful Son: Due to his dad's alcoholism and his mother having to support the family, Ryan takes it upon himself to help out whenever possible and essentially be a surrogate parent to his brother.
- The Eeyore: As you can imagine, his abuse often manifests in despair and pessimism, and for someone so young he is world-weary and cynical.
- The Everyman: In truth, there is nothing particularly distinguishing about Ryan, aside from the fact that he's very tall, very quiet, and very talented at basketball. Once you get to know him, though, there's a lot more to his character than one might expect.
- Fatal Flaw: His lack of confidence. Ryan is someone who desires to do good things and even push himself to step outside his comfort zone, but is constantly plagued by the abusive life he has suffered under his father's thumb.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: The Phlegmatic. He's a people person and also coy at times.
- Friend to All Living Things: Ryan cares for just about everyone and everything he meets, being a caring friend, son and brother, but also a loving owner to his little dog Chessie.
- Gentle Giant: Ryan is noticeably taller than the other kids around him, but doesn't use this as a means of intimidating people.
- Good Is Not Soft: As nice and helpful as they come, but won't hesitate to call someone out for their misdeeds when they make him mad. He'll also stand up for others when they are in danger.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Ryan and Mark both have very blonde hair and good hearts, despite the fact that their mother is a redhead and their father is brown haired.
- Hates Their Parent: Ryan to his dad, Simon.
- The Heart: His kindness and determination are what keeps both his family and his circle of friends together.
- Heroes Love Dogs: Ryan is the proud owner of Chessie, a Jack Russell Terrier.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Peter Lees; they have been friends for as long as either of them can remember, and know each other intimately.
- Ideal Hero: To a point. Ryan is kind, considerate, friendly and charming, but at the same time displays many mental demons that plague him due to the years of abuse he has suffered, including sudden moodswings, breaking down in tears frequently and a severe lack of self-confidence and worth.
- Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Ryan is kind to everyone, and knows when to shy away from temptation, but at the same time he does have something of a mischievous streak, although he fully knows the limits of such.
- Innocent Blue Eyes: Unlike his angry and vicious father, Simon, who has brown eyes, Ryan has blue eyes, and his character is one of peace and restraint.
- Ironic Name: In its native Irish, Ryan means 'Little King', perhaps an almost mocking inversion as he lives in a working class home with little to no possessions to call his own.
- Kid Hero: Ryan is both a kid and the hero of our tale.
- Like Father, Unlike Son: Ryan shows no traits of his father's violent nature, being quiet and calm while Simon is loud and raucous.
- Magnetic Hero: While not attractive to everyone, Ryan has an ability to win people over thanks to his kindness and genuine concern for others.
- Momma's Boy: Ryan is absolutely devoted to his mother.
- Mood-Swinger: Due to his emotional instability, Ryan can swing from happy and fun to depressed and somber at the drop of a hat. This is a trait inherited somewhat from his father, but unlike Simon, who usually flies into a violent rage, Ryan is left in crippling fear and blind panic.
- Morality Chain: Is this to his brother, Mark, keeping tabs on his foul mouth and making sure he doesn't stray too far off the straight and narrow.
- Nervous Wreck: Ryan in a nutshell. He is very anxious, and his nervous nature often manifests itself in bad dreams, bed wetting and sudden moodswings.
- Neverending Terror: Ryan's near-endless anxiety over his abuse.
- Nice Guy: His defining character trait.
- Not So Above It All: While Ryan usually plays the straight man, he is also shown to goof around, as is normally the case with Mark.
- One Head Taller: Ryan is quite a tall boy for his age, being shown to be taller than most other boys in his class and pretty much all the girls.
- Only Sane Man: Due to his comparative maturity for his age, Ryan is often the only voice of reason present among his more rambunctious friends at school.
- The Pollyanna: Ryan remains optimistic in spite of his hardships.
- Promotion to Parent: Ryan is this to Mark when his mother isn't around.
- Prone to Tears: Ryan, as a result of his constant abuse and subsequent emotional instability.
- The Quiet One: Even as his confidence improves, when he's in a group of people, Ryan usually talks the least.
- Shrinking Violet: Early on, Ryan is a very timid, shy and retiring boy, focussing more on reading and learning about the world rather than making friends.
- Socially Awkward Hero: Ryan demonstrates he has a hard time communicating with others due to his anxiety, therefore he struggles to make friends.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Inverted completely. Ryan has little to no resemblance to his parents, although he does share his mother's eye colour. While his dad is brown-haired and his mom is a redhead, he has very blonde hair, and the narrow shape of his head doesn't match the more rotund look of his dad.
- Troubled Child: Ryan shows traits of mental instability due to his abuse.
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: Completely inverted, Ryan possesses few physical traits from his mother or father, the most notable being his bleach blonde hair.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: Always believes in the best possible outcome, even when he should know better.
- Wise Beyond His Years: Ryan is demonstrated to be highly intelligent and restrained for his youthful age.
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The Woobie: Ryan, due to his struggles with abuse and mental instability. - Working-Class Hero: Ryan Hanson.
Mark Hanson
Much like his older brother, Mark has known little true happiness in his life. However, while he too is subject to his father's rage and violence, Mark has always had a friend and protector in Ryan, and the duo share an unbreakable sibling bond as they endure the harshness of the world around them.
- All-Loving Hero: While easily led off the beaten track, Mark always tries to see the goodness in others and will often go out of his way to selflessly help those who are sad.
- Animal Lover: While Ryan and Mark both love their little dog, Chessie, Mark appears to love him much more, which is reciprocated by Chessie who often gravitates towards him rather than his older brother.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Played with. Mark is demonstrated to pick up naughty words and use them indiscriminately, as well as having a perverted streak that often leads him into trouble.
- Angst: Due to his upbringing, Mark has a strong sense of this.
- Beware the Cute Ones: Although Mark is the cute and fluffy younger brother, he has quite the potty mouth and a propensity to look up girl's skirts.
- Big Brother Worship: Mark shows a great admiration and love for his older brother, Ryan.
- Break the Cutie: Mark on multiple occasions.
- Cheerful Child: When he's around Ryan, he has no cares in the world.
- Creepy Child: While Mark often illustrates a certain naivety to the adult terms he likes to recklessly fling around, in some instances the words he likes to employ he appears to have a genuine understanding of, illustrating something of an underlying perverseness to him and perhaps even a poor perception of women.
- Deadpan Snarker: He's always got a quip on standby, whether it's appropriate or not is another matter.
- Dirty Kid: Despite being only 7-years-old when introduced, Mark shows a keen interest and knowledge in more 'adult' aspects of life, often using vulgar terms and describing perverted situations and scenes he's either witnessed or been informed of by his strange circle of friends.
- Fatal Flaw: Mark's compulsive swearing and sexual interests.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: While Mark isn't foolish, he is naïve and not fully able to comprehend the gravity of situations, while Ryan is demonstrated to have a strong grasp of the abusive household the pair live in and the toxic relationship they have with their father.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Ryan and Mark both have very blonde hair and good hearts, despite the fact that their mother is a redhead and their father is brown haired.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Ryan. As brothers, both boys are very intimate with each other, being extremely close and always there for one another even in the hardest of times.
- Innocent Blue Eyes: Mark, as the baby of the Hanson family, is supposedly the most innocent of them all, but clearly shows traits of this being tainted through his use of naughty words and vulgar terms.
- Innocently Insensitive: Due to his naivety when it comes to the adult words and phrases he hears in his life, he often makes faux pas by using the terms he picks up in the wrong context, making himself look like a bit of an idiot. He also has a fascination with looking up women's skirts, completely oblivious that said women might take offence at this boy looking up their skirt.
- Like Father, Unlike Son: Mark, while picking up some bad habits like bad or vulgar words, doesn't share many traits with his father. In reality, behind his façade of faux confidence, he's much more afraid of his dad than Ryan is.
- Neverending Terror: Mark may sometimes give the impression of confidence, but in reality he is fundamentally afraid of the world around him; especially his father.
- Prone to Tears: Mark shows this a lot as a result of the constant abuse and violent ways in his family.
- Protected by a Child: Ryan, who is only 10 when the story begins, takes the role of protector for his younger brother, Mark.
- Satellite Character: Usually appears when Ryan is around.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Compared to Ryan, who is generally quiet and has a strong moral compass, Mark is louder and more extroverted, as well as demonstrating a healthy degree of vulgarity in both his use of profanity and lewd terms, uncharacteristic for a child of his age.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Inverted completely. Mark has little to no resemblance to his parents, although he does share his mother's eye colour and his round head bears similarities to his father when he was younger. Otherwise, while his dad is brown-haired and his mom is a redhead, he has very blonde hair.
- The Woobie: Mark, due to his struggles with abuse.
Simon Hanson
The Hanson patriarch, Simon comes from a past steeped in pain and loneliness; led by dark habits to the alcoholic wreck he is today. Even before this, though, he had a natural streak of anger and aggression that alienated him from the rest of the world. Now, he is the very incarnation of bitterness and resent, channelling his drunken rage against those closest to him.
- Abusive Dad: Simon routinely victimizes his wife and children, due in part to his alcoholism.
- The Alcoholic: Simon drinks copiously throughout the series.
- Alcoholic Parent: Simon Hanson.
- Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: Before turning violent, Simon is more clumsy and idle than anything else.
- All Abusers Are Male: Simon Hanson.
- Archnemesis Dad: Simon to Mark and Ryan.
- Awful Wedded Life: Jinny and Simon.
- The Brute: The very definition of one.
- The Bully: Simon is shown to routinely treat those around him with physical and verbal abuse.
- Bumbling Dad: When drunk, Simon can be shown as this before he turns violent.
- Child Hater: No one who has any love for children would do what Simon does to his own children.
- Destructive Romance: Simon and Jinny's marriage.
- The Dreaded: Whenever Simon enters the scene, all happiness and joy is quickly displaced.
- Doesn't Know Their Own Child: Simon to both Mark and Ryan.
- Drowning My Sorrows: Simon admits to Ryan that part of the reason for his alcoholism is to suppress his guilt.
- Fat Bastard: Aside from his various personality flaws, Simon is by far the fattest person so far in the series - the result of his years of alcohol abuse.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Simon's temper is sudden and vicious, described by Ryan to be like siting one's house on the side of an active volcano.
- Hated by All: Simon is held in contempt by pretty much everyone who knows him.
- Hate Sink: Easily so, he is angry, hate-filled and misanthropic, therefore it's easy to dislike him.
- Henpecked Husband: Played with. Jinny and Simon often clash about their dire situation or his alcoholic habits, to which she blames all her problems on him.
- Hope Crusher: Simon's words and actions often put the dampener on any aspirations.
- It's All About Me: Simon has little to no concern for those around him, and appears to serve only himself.
- Jerkass: He seems to have a hatred for everything and everyone, especially his son, Ryan.
- Kick the Dog: Simon is a very, very unpleasant man with an extremely violent disposition that appears to be aimed squarely at Ryan.
- Knight of Cerebus: Things always take a dark turn whenever he appears.
- Lack of Empathy: Simon, in most cases, has little to no concern for the well-being of his family, apparently fully consumed by his own self-loathing and his destructive alcoholism.
- Lazy Husband: Simon rarely helps either his wife or his children, and is instead more of a hindrance.
- Like Father, Unlike Son: While Simon is violent, hate-filled and alcoholic, Ryan is quiet, friendly, and tries to befriend everyone he meets.
- Lower-Class Lout: Simon is the very definition of this; he's working class, abusive, alcoholic, and appears to be nothing but dumb muscle.
- No Sympathy: He has little to no care or empathy for anyone, especially his family.
- Parental Neglect: Simon is neglectful to both of his sons, but especially Mark. While he seems to enjoy abusing and bullying Ryan, there is very little evidence to suggest that Simon even knows Mark exists.
- The Patriarch: Simon uses his incredible strength and violent nature to keep Ryan and Mark under his thumb, and to an extent his wife, Jinny.
- Slimeball: The very definition; he's an incredibly violent, drunken abuser with no care for anyone, even himself.
- The Sociopath: Simon has a disdain for everyone and everything, being physically and emotionally abusive to both his sons and wife.
- Stout Strength: For all of his drunken obesity, Simon is incredibly strong, and is able to kick Ryan against a wall with such force it breaks his arm.
- Suddenly Shouting: A side-effect of his violent temper and sudden mood swings.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Simon is an obese and unkempt man whose alcohol abuse makes him look older than he is, while his wife, Jinny, still retains much of her youthful beauty and figure.
- Unknown Rival: With Ryan, who he hates more than anyone else in the world, but never specifies why.
- Unwanted Spouse: Jinny to Simon.
- Would Hit a Girl: Simon is shown to be violent with his wife, Jinny.
- Would Hurt a Child: Simon is shown to be extremely violent to his children, especially Ryan, whom he breaks the arm of during a drunken rage.
Jinny Hanson (née Magrane)
Ryan and Mark's mother, unlike her husband, Simon, Jinny is a loving and caring parent; wishing only the best for her lost and lonely little boys in their dark and depressing situation. Though she often laments the way in which she found herself in this sorry state, she finds resolve in her sons, who in return love her unconditionally.
- Awful Wedded Life: Jinny and Simon.
- Berserk Button: She has many of them, mostly thanks to the very presence of her husband, Simon.
- Beware the Nice Ones: She is sincerely nice, but has a violent temper.
- Broken Bird: Despite her resolve to raise her children properly, even Jinny has moments when the world she's been plunged into becomes too much.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Jinny is usually very pleasant and treats her kids with love and affection, but she has a hair temper and can quickly fly into a rage, usually when Simon is present.
- Doting Parent: Jinny to Mark and Ryan.
- Education Mama: Jinny is concerned by this when sending Ryan to boarding school.
- Fiery Redhead: As well as being a redhead, Jinny demonstrates she has a fiery temperament beneath the pleasant demeanour she shows her children; resulting in many vicious arguments between herself and Simon.
- Foolish Husband, Responsible Wife: Responsible to Simon's Foolish. Simon is a lazy, alcoholic, and extremely violent man in contrast to his smart, calculated, and careful wife, Jinny.
- Good Parents: Jinny dotes on Ryan and Mark, raising them with the same standards and principles she was in order to make good men out of them.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Jinny cares for her family, but is immediately put into a bad mood whenever Simon is present, even when he's not saying or doing anything that directly affects her - she hates him that much.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: She's regular-sized, but absolutely dwarfed by Simon.
- I Am What I Am: She knows her situation with Simon is impossible, but she can't simply walk out on him as she hasn't the money to keep herself afloat.
- Mama Bear: She's VERY protective of Ryan and Mark.
- Mood-Swinger: To a lesser extent than her husband or sons, Jinny's violent mood-swings are only brought about by the presence of Simon. She is otherwise fairly consistent in her behavior and mannerisms.
- Only Sane Woman: Compared to the other women in Baltimore, which mostly comprise hookers and junkies, the various misfortunes of her life are mostly sober.
- Suddenly Shouting: Jinny's strongest weapon against Simon is her voice, and she will use this readily when she finds him doing things she doesn't want.
- Tsundere: Most of the time she's very kind and loving, but when she confronts Simon, the fireworks truly start.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: With Simon, she's not just more beautiful on the outside.
- Unwanted Spouse: Simon to Jinny.
- Women Are Wiser: Jinny is the one who comes up with all the ideas in the Hanson family, and proves to be the voice of reason and advice for her kids despite the irritations of her husband.
- Workaholic: A necessity, considering that they're flat-broke and she's the only one of the adults in the Hanson family doing any work around here.
Chester a.k.a. 'Chessie'
The Hanson Family's pet Jack Russell Terrier.
- Affectionate Nickname: While his name is Chester, he is almost always referred to as Chessie.
- Animal Stereotypes: Chessie is a loyal and playful dog, but also spends much of his time slumped over asleep.
- Canine Companion: Chessie is very much Mark's companion when they're together, and seems to stand in as a friend when Ryan is away at school.
- Dog Stereotype: As a Jack Russell Terrier, Chessie is shown to be a hyperactive and energetic dog when he gets moving, but at the same time is often seen sleeping.
- Dog Walks You: Pretty much the case in Part 1.
- Heroes Love Dogs: Ryan and Mark are shown to adore Chessie, and were instrumental in giving him a home.
- Meaningful Name: The nickname 'Chessie' can have several meanings given the setting of the series in Baltimore, which include taking his name from the Chesapeake Bay on which Baltimore sits, to the name of the cat mascot for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, also known as 'Chessie'.
- Precious Puppy: Chessie helps to lighten the dull mood of Ryan and Mark's surroundings.
Josie Magrane
Ryan and Mark's doting aunt and Jinny's sister who lives in the countryside and works as a lawyer in Washington D.C.. Unlike her sister, she lives a wealthy and successful life, but that doesn't mean she has completely forsaken the other side of her family, helping out whenever and wherever she can to look after Ryan and Mark while supporting her twin sibling.
- The Confidant: To Jinny. As her twin sister, she is the one she always turns to get things off her chest.
- Cool Aunt: Josie cares deeply about the welfare of Ryan and Mark, and even helps to manage the festivities at Ryan's birthday.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Considering her situation when compared to her twin sister, Jinny, Josie is clearly the more responsible of the two, having found success after graduating from Penn State University.
- Parental Substitute: Josie is demonstrated to often take this role when Jinny isn't around.
- Polar Opposite Twins: Unlike Jinny, Josie is shown to be calm and understated, and excelled at her education to become a successful attorney.
- Satellite Character: Usually appears when Jinny is around.
