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** Another thing to note is the sheer ArtisticLicenseBiology that goes into the Fireflies' plan to harvest a cure from Ellie, plus the logistical concerns of actually distributing it. With this in mind, Joel can be seen as the situation's OnlySaneMan preventing the Fireflies from forcing a StupidSacrifice upon Ellie.
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* Is Bill an eccentric in-universe CrazySurvivalist, or the game's OnlySaneMan (except for maybe Tommy and his ilk)? His [[ProperlyParanoid justified paranoia]] allowed him to make a house out of an entire ''town'', and he accurately predicts the dangers of Joel's relationship with Ellie. He also noticeably avoids the game's running theme of doing controversial things to protect those you love, even while he's clearly grieved by Frank's death,.
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* Is Bill an eccentric in-universe CrazySurvivalist, or the game's OnlySaneMan (except for maybe Tommy and his ilk)? His [[ProperlyParanoid justified paranoia]] allowed him to make a house out of an entire ''town'', and he accurately predicts the dangers of Joel's relationship with Ellie. He also noticeably avoids the game's running theme of doing controversial things to protect those you love, even while he's clearly grieved by Frank's death,.death.
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Since ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'' has complex characters who face decisions without clear right or wrong choices, it's natural for people to draw their own conclusions about what motivates them. '''Be warned: all spoilers for the first game are unmarked'''.
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Since ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'' has complex characters who face decisions without clear right or wrong choices, it's natural for people to [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation draw their own conclusions about what motivates them. them.]] '''Be warned: all spoilers for the first game are unmarked'''.
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* Consider the sheer speed with which the Fireflies decide to scoop out Ellie's brain, potentially ruining their only vaccine source. Is it because the Fireflies are just that good at medicine, or is it desperation mixed with scientific incompetence?
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* Consider the sheer speed with which the Fireflies decide to scoop out Ellie's brain, potentially ruining their only vaccine source. Is it because the Fireflies are just that good at medicine, or is it desperation mixed with scientific incompetence?incompetence? Considering that the spores "grow all over the brain," harvesting Ellie's entire brain seems incredibly drastic when a simple biopsy could be just as useful for research without having to murder a child.
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* Even if a vaccine had been successfully made, would the Fireflies really have distributed it quickly and/or fairly to people? They were on extremely bad terms with the military, immediately decided to kill an unconscious child, and it's ultimately implied that they wanted to kill Joel after he delivered Ellie because HeKnowsTooMuch. Their goal may have been noble, but in the end, it would appear that they might have kept a potential vaccine to themselves, or at most have distributed it in small dosages to chosen clients, which, when the word got out, would have caused mankind to turn even ''more'' on each other due to fighting over it.
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* Even if a vaccine had been successfully made, would the Fireflies really have distributed it quickly and/or fairly to people? They were on extremely bad terms with the military, immediately decided to kill an unconscious child, and it's ultimately implied that they wanted to kill Joel after he delivered Ellie because HeKnowsTooMuch. Their goal may have been noble, but in the end, it would appear that they might have kept a potential vaccine to themselves, themselves or at most have distributed it in small dosages to chosen clients, which, when the word got out, would have caused mankind to turn even ''more'' on each other due to fighting over it.
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* To add to the above, the ZombieApocalypse rampaged for ''20 years''; could the world be considered too far gone for a vaccine to really have made that much of a difference? Anyone who's already infected (save for maybe early-stage Runners) is almost certainly too far gone for a vaccine to cure them. And even if the vaccine could cure them, it's not like the infected will just sit quietly and allow a cure to be administered (hope someone has a dart gun). The vaccine would likely be best effective either as a prevention or for those who are recently infected but haven't turned yet, and since the human population is sparse, finding someone who could administer the vaccine before the victim turned would likely be a daunting task. While Joel's main motive was that he didn't want his substitute daughter to die, he may have also concluded that a cure was pointless at this stage, further backed up by the fact that he starts having second thoughts about delivering Ellie to the Fireflies ''before'' they reach the hospital.
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* To add to the above, the ZombieApocalypse rampaged for ''20 years''; could the world be considered too far gone for a vaccine to really have made that much of a difference? Anyone who's already infected (save for maybe early-stage Runners) is almost certainly too far gone for a vaccine to cure them. And even if the vaccine could cure them, it's not like the infected will just sit quietly and allow a cure to be administered (hope someone has a dart gun). The vaccine would likely be best effective either as a prevention or for those who are recently infected but haven't turned yet, prevention, and since the human population is sparse, finding someone who could administer the vaccine before the victim turned would likely be a daunting task.task. Not to mention that it would take at least a few centuries to produce enough humans who are immune to the infection in order to rebuild society into what it once was. While Joel's main motive was that he didn't want his substitute daughter to die, he may have also concluded that a cure was pointless at this stage, further backed up by the fact that he starts having second thoughts about delivering Ellie to the Fireflies ''before'' they reach the hospital.
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* To add to the above, the ZombieApocalypse rampaged for ''20 years''; could the world be considered too far gone for a vaccine to really have made that much of a difference? Anyone who's already infected (save for maybe early-stage Runners) is almost certainly too far gone for a vaccine to cure them. And even if the vaccine could cure them, it's not like the infected will just sit quietly and allow a cure to be administered (hope someone has a dart gun). The vaccine would likely be best effective either as a prevention or for those who are recently infected but haven't turned yet, and since the human population is sparse, finding someone who could administer the vaccine before the victim turned would likely be a daunting task. While Joel's main motive was that he didn't want his substitute daughter to die, he may have concluded that a cure was pointless at this stage, further backed up by the fact that he starts having second thoughts about delivering Ellie to the Fireflies ''before'' they reach the hospital.
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* To add to the above, the ZombieApocalypse rampaged for ''20 years''; could the world be considered too far gone for a vaccine to really have made that much of a difference? Anyone who's already infected (save for maybe early-stage Runners) is almost certainly too far gone for a vaccine to cure them. And even if the vaccine could cure them, it's not like the infected will just sit quietly and allow a cure to be administered (hope someone has a dart gun). The vaccine would likely be best effective either as a prevention or for those who are recently infected but haven't turned yet, and since the human population is sparse, finding someone who could administer the vaccine before the victim turned would likely be a daunting task. While Joel's main motive was that he didn't want his substitute daughter to die, he may have also concluded that a cure was pointless at this stage, further backed up by the fact that he starts having second thoughts about delivering Ellie to the Fireflies ''before'' they reach the hospital.
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* To add to the above, the ZombieApocalypse rampaged for ''20 years''; could the world be considered too far gone for a vaccine to really have made that much of a difference? Anyone who's already infected (save for maybe early-stage Runners) is almost certainly too far gone for a vaccine to cure them. And even if the vaccine could cure them, it's not like the infected will just sit quietly and allow a cure to be administered (hope someone has a dart gun). The vaccine would likely be best effective either as a prevention or for those who are recently infected but haven't turned yet, and since the human population is sparse, finding someone who could administer the vaccine before the victim turned would likely be a daunting task. While Joel's main motive was that he didn't want his substitute daughter to die, he may have concluded that a cure was pointless at this stage, further backed up by the fact that he starts having second thoughts about delivering Ellie to the Fireflies before they even reach the hospital.
to:
* To add to the above, the ZombieApocalypse rampaged for ''20 years''; could the world be considered too far gone for a vaccine to really have made that much of a difference? Anyone who's already infected (save for maybe early-stage Runners) is almost certainly too far gone for a vaccine to cure them. And even if the vaccine could cure them, it's not like the infected will just sit quietly and allow a cure to be administered (hope someone has a dart gun). The vaccine would likely be best effective either as a prevention or for those who are recently infected but haven't turned yet, and since the human population is sparse, finding someone who could administer the vaccine before the victim turned would likely be a daunting task. While Joel's main motive was that he didn't want his substitute daughter to die, he may have concluded that a cure was pointless at this stage, further backed up by the fact that he starts having second thoughts about delivering Ellie to the Fireflies before ''before'' they even reach the hospital.
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* To add to the above, the ZombieApocalypse rampaged for ''20 years''; could the world be considered too far gone for a vaccine to really have made that much of a difference? Anyone who's already infected (save for maybe early-stage Runners) is almost certainly too far gone for a vaccine to cure them. And even if the vaccine could cure them, it's not like the infected will just sit quietly and allow a cure to be administered (hope someone has a dart gun). The vaccine would likely be best effective either as a prevention or for those who are recently infected but haven't turned yet, and since the human population is sparse, finding someone who could administer the vaccine before the victim turned would likely be a daunting task. While Joel just didn't want his substitute daughter to die, he may have concluded that a cure was pointless at this stage, as he starts having second thoughts about delivering Ellie to the Fireflies before they even reach the hospital.
to:
* To add to the above, the ZombieApocalypse rampaged for ''20 years''; could the world be considered too far gone for a vaccine to really have made that much of a difference? Anyone who's already infected (save for maybe early-stage Runners) is almost certainly too far gone for a vaccine to cure them. And even if the vaccine could cure them, it's not like the infected will just sit quietly and allow a cure to be administered (hope someone has a dart gun). The vaccine would likely be best effective either as a prevention or for those who are recently infected but haven't turned yet, and since the human population is sparse, finding someone who could administer the vaccine before the victim turned would likely be a daunting task. While Joel just Joel's main motive was that he didn't want his substitute daughter to die, he may have concluded that a cure was pointless at this stage, as further backed up by the fact that he starts having second thoughts about delivering Ellie to the Fireflies before they even reach the hospital.
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* To add to the above, the ZombieApocalypse rampaged for ''20 years''; could the world be considered too far gone for a vaccine to really have made that much of a difference? Anyone who's already infected (save for maybe early-stage Runners) is almost certainly too far gone for a vaccine to cure them. And even if the vaccine could cure them, it's not like the infected will just sit quietly and allow a cure to be administered (hope someone has a dart gun). The vaccine would likely be best effective either as a prevention or for those who are recently infected but haven't turned yet, and since the human population is sparse, finding someone who could administer the vaccine before the victim turned would likely be a daunting task.
to:
* To add to the above, the ZombieApocalypse rampaged for ''20 years''; could the world be considered too far gone for a vaccine to really have made that much of a difference? Anyone who's already infected (save for maybe early-stage Runners) is almost certainly too far gone for a vaccine to cure them. And even if the vaccine could cure them, it's not like the infected will just sit quietly and allow a cure to be administered (hope someone has a dart gun). The vaccine would likely be best effective either as a prevention or for those who are recently infected but haven't turned yet, and since the human population is sparse, finding someone who could administer the vaccine before the victim turned would likely be a daunting task. While Joel just didn't want his substitute daughter to die, he may have concluded that a cure was pointless at this stage, as he starts having second thoughts about delivering Ellie to the Fireflies before they even reach the hospital.
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** There’s also his last discussion with Ellie. He asks her if she believes people who become infected go to Heaven and ends the conversation with saying he doesn’t believe in Heaven like her. Did he actually mean it or was he reconsidering his beliefs because he knew he was going to turn any minute and he hoped he was going to a better place when he dies?
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Rule Of Cautious Editing Judgement violation.
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** Given the real-life events of 2021, one has to wonder how many people would simply [[RealitySubtext refuse to take the vaccine]].
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TRS cleanup, dewicking Adult Fear
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* Is Joel a noble PapaWolf for rescuing Ellie from certain death, or an ultimately selfish man motivated by the AdultFear of losing another daughter? Or has he just lost all faith in humanity to the point that he feels humanity doesn't deserve saving and is willing to damn them all for daring to take another little girl's life, considering what happened to his daughter in the prologue?
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* Is Joel a noble PapaWolf for rescuing Ellie from certain death, or an ultimately selfish man motivated by the AdultFear fear of losing another daughter? Or has he just lost all faith in humanity to the point that he feels humanity doesn't deserve saving and is willing to damn them all for daring to take another little girl's life, considering what happened to his daughter in the prologue?
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** Nolan North specifically says, "He's not trying to rape her or anything. At first."
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** Given the real-life events of 2021, one has to wonder how many people would simply [[Reality Subtext refuse to take the vaccine]].
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** Given the real-life events of 2021, one has to wonder how many people would simply [[Reality Subtext [[RealitySubtext refuse to take the vaccine]].
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** Given the real-life events of 2021, one has to wonder how many people would simply [[Reality Subtext refuse to take the vaccine]].
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* It's noteworthy that Joel's response to Marlene's revelation is not "You can't do this." or "Are you insane?" but "Find someone else!". Indeed, would he have cared if they were doing it to a child he didn't know? Rewind to the beginning of the game, [[FridgeHorror and you're reminded how he refused Tommy to stop and help a family with a child so long as his own daughter was safe...]]
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* When Ellie asks Joel whether he's telling the truth about what happened while she was unconscious, was she asking Joel to lie to her? Or is she begging him to protect her from that last bit of guilt? WordOfGod states that [[http://kotaku.com/the-last-of-us-climactic-moments-could-have-been-very-600685013 she knows he is lying to her,]] and that [[http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/the-last-of-us-how-the-games-creator-envisions-its-ending/ as a result, she feels robbed of choice- it has ended her trust in him.]]
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* When Ellie asks Joel whether he's telling the truth about what happened while she was unconscious, was she asking Joel to lie to her? Or is she begging him to protect her from that last bit of guilt? WordOfGod states that [[http://kotaku.com/the-last-of-us-climactic-moments-could-have-been-very-600685013 she knows he is lying to her,]] and that [[http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/the-last-of-us-how-the-games-creator-envisions-its-ending/ as a result, she feels robbed of choice- choice and it has ended her trust in him.]]
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* To add to the above, the ZombieApocalypse rampaged for ''20 years;'' could the world be considered too far gone for a vaccine to really have made that much of a difference? Anyone who's already infected (save for maybe early-stage Runners) is almost certainly too far gone for a vaccine to cure them. And even if the vaccine could cure them, it's not like the infected will just sit quietly and allow a cure to be administered (Hope someone has a dart gun). The vaccine would likely be best effective either as a prevention or for those who are recently infected but haven't turned yet, and since the human population is sparse, finding someone who could administer the vaccine before the victim turned would likely be a daunting task.
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* To add to the above, the ZombieApocalypse rampaged for ''20 years;'' years''; could the world be considered too far gone for a vaccine to really have made that much of a difference? Anyone who's already infected (save for maybe early-stage Runners) is almost certainly too far gone for a vaccine to cure them. And even if the vaccine could cure them, it's not like the infected will just sit quietly and allow a cure to be administered (Hope (hope someone has a dart gun). The vaccine would likely be best effective either as a prevention or for those who are recently infected but haven't turned yet, and since the human population is sparse, finding someone who could administer the vaccine before the victim turned would likely be a daunting task.
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* In the ending, is Ellie asking Joel to lie to her? Or is she begging him to protect her from that last bit of guilt? WordOfGod states that [[http://kotaku.com/the-last-of-us-climactic-moments-could-have-been-very-600685013 she knows he is lying to her,]] and that [[http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/the-last-of-us-how-the-games-creator-envisions-its-ending/ as a result, she feels robbed of choice- it has ended her trust in him.]]
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* In the ending, is When Ellie asks Joel whether he's telling the truth about what happened while she was unconscious, was she asking Joel to lie to her? Or is she begging him to protect her from that last bit of guilt? WordOfGod states that [[http://kotaku.com/the-last-of-us-climactic-moments-could-have-been-very-600685013 she knows he is lying to her,]] and that [[http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/the-last-of-us-how-the-games-creator-envisions-its-ending/ as a result, she feels robbed of choice- it has ended her trust in him.]]
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* In the ending, is Joel a noble PapaWolf or an ultimately selfish man motivated by the AdultFear of losing another daughter? That, or perhaps he's so vengeful against humanity, he's willing to damn them all for daring to take another little girl's life, considering what happened to his daughter in the prologue.
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* In the ending, is Is Joel a noble PapaWolf for rescuing Ellie from certain death, or an ultimately selfish man motivated by the AdultFear of losing another daughter? That, or perhaps he's so vengeful against humanity, he's Or has he just lost all faith in humanity to the point that he feels humanity doesn't deserve saving and is willing to damn them all for daring to take another little girl's life, considering what happened to his daughter in the prologue.prologue?
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* Why did Tommy leave the Fireflies? Joel implies that it's because Tommy got bored and quit, but was that the truth or just sour grapes from big brother? From what little we see of Tommy, he doesn't seem like the type of person who'd give up on a cause he believed in, and he still believes in saving humanity, even though he's taking a different route than the Fireflies are, so maybe this is the first hint that the Fireflies might not be as noble as we're led to believe.
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* Why did Tommy leave the Fireflies? Joel implies that it's because Tommy got bored and quit, but was that the truth or just sour grapes from big brother? From what little we see of Tommy, he doesn't seem like the type of person who'd give up on a cause he believed in, and he still believes in saving humanity, even though he's taking a different route than the Fireflies are, are (creating a new humanity instead of restoring the old), so maybe this is the first hint that the Fireflies might not be as noble as we're led to believe.
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* In the ending, is Ellie asking Joel to lie to her? Or is she begging him to protect her from that last bit of guilt? WordOfGod states that [[http://kotaku.com/the-last-of-us-climactic-moments-could-have-been-very-600685013 she knows he is lying to her,]] and that [[http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/the-last-of-us-how-the-games-creator-envisions-its-ending/ as a result, she feels robbed of choice- it has ended her trust in him.]]]]
to:
* In the ending, is Ellie asking Joel to lie to her? Or is she begging him to protect her from that last bit of guilt? WordOfGod states that [[http://kotaku.com/the-last-of-us-climactic-moments-could-have-been-very-600685013 she knows he is lying to her,]] and that [[http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/the-last-of-us-how-the-games-creator-envisions-its-ending/ as a result, she feels robbed of choice- it has ended her trust in him.]]]]]]
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Since ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'' has complex characters who face decisions without clear right or wrong choices, it's natural for people to draw their own conclusions about what motivates them. '''Be warned: all spoilers for the first game are unmarked'''.
[[folder:The Ending]]
* In the ending, is Joel a noble PapaWolf or an ultimately selfish man motivated by the AdultFear of losing another daughter? That, or perhaps he's so vengeful against humanity, he's willing to damn them all for daring to take another little girl's life, considering what happened to his daughter in the prologue.
* It's noteworthy that Joel's response to Marlene's revelation is not "You can't do this." or "Are you insane?" but "Find someone else!". Indeed, would he have cared if they were doing it to a child he didn't know? Rewind to the beginning of the game, [[FridgeHorror and you're reminded how he refused Tommy to stop and help a family with a child so long as his own daughter was safe...]]
* Is Marlene a stressed, desperate leader who feels the ends justifies the means, or a BrokenBird ground down by the horrors of what the world has become and simply didn't have the strength of will to resist the urges of her people?
* Consider the sheer speed with which the Fireflies decide to scoop out Ellie's brain, potentially ruining their only vaccine source. Is it because the Fireflies are just that good at medicine, or is it desperation mixed with scientific incompetence?
* In the ending, is Ellie asking Joel to lie to her? Or is she begging him to protect her from that last bit of guilt? WordOfGod states that [[http://kotaku.com/the-last-of-us-climactic-moments-could-have-been-very-600685013 she knows he is lying to her,]] and that [[http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/the-last-of-us-how-the-games-creator-envisions-its-ending/ as a result, she feels robbed of choice- it has ended her trust in him.]]]]
* Even if a vaccine had been successfully made, would the Fireflies really have distributed it quickly and/or fairly to people? They were on extremely bad terms with the military, immediately decided to kill an unconscious child, and it's ultimately implied that they wanted to kill Joel after he delivered Ellie because HeKnowsTooMuch. Their goal may have been noble, but in the end, it would appear that they might have kept a potential vaccine to themselves, or at most have distributed it in small dosages to chosen clients, which, when the word got out, would have caused mankind to turn even ''more'' on each other due to fighting over it.
* To add to the above, the ZombieApocalypse rampaged for ''20 years;'' could the world be considered too far gone for a vaccine to really have made that much of a difference? Anyone who's already infected (save for maybe early-stage Runners) is almost certainly too far gone for a vaccine to cure them. And even if the vaccine could cure them, it's not like the infected will just sit quietly and allow a cure to be administered (Hope someone has a dart gun). The vaccine would likely be best effective either as a prevention or for those who are recently infected but haven't turned yet, and since the human population is sparse, finding someone who could administer the vaccine before the victim turned would likely be a daunting task.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:David]]
* Was David a BitchInSheepsClothing all along, or was he the decent guy he first introduces himself as, who merely snapped when realizing there was no use attempting to get along with strangers who in return did nothing but break his fingers and kill his men and was forced to resort to cannibalism to survive? Then again, he showed his paedophilic tendencies before he snapped and the other Cannibals call Ellie his "newest pet", implying he did such things before. Alternatively, is his AxCrazy personality during his and Ellie's BossFight due to the (supposed) infection from her bite showing its symptoms?
** Interestingly, Creator/NolanNorth (David's voice actor)'s own interpretation of David is that he genuinely cares for his group and indeed had good intentions towards Ellie to begin with, with her being a glimmer of hope for him similar to the way she is for Joel, but threw all morality out the window the more she fought against him.
** David apparently kept young girls as "entertainment" before Ellie, who all might have been naive and trusting of his kind and polite act in difference to Ellie who flat out refuses to join him. Nolan North even hinted that David might have viewed Ellie as different and considered her to be someone he eventually [[{{Squick}} could have children with]] to increase his group's numbers. Another possible interpretation of his reaction to Ellie's defiance is that David is NotGoodWithRejection.
* Ellie breaking David's finger. A badass or stupid move, considering there was no way she could have gotten a hold of his keys and she only escapes him and James within an inch of her life as a result? A better solution would probably have been to pretend she would join him, and then escape ''after'' he let her out. Though it might just boil down to her having acted rashly out of anger or panic.]]
* A lot of players interpret Ellie's sullen attitude at the start of the Spring chapter to be the result of her ordeal with David, when at that point, it's been at least a couple of months since it happened[[note]] recorders at the hospital reveals the date to be April 28th, while the fight with David was in the middle of winter[[/note]] and WordOfGod hints more towards her simply being down about her and Joel's journey almost being over. Joel will also comment that she seems "extra quiet today", meaning she was acting depressed that particular day.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Tommy]]
* While he's clearly a good man at heart who cares for his family and friends and wants to rebuild the world on a small scale, Tommy can come across as rather self-righteous and condescending to Joel. He doesn't seem to appreciate even the intent behind whatever Joel did to try and keep him alive, and rather than deny it was necessary, he just flippantly tells him it "wasn't worth it", which makes it seem like he thinks he's too good for him. It also comes across as him having a sort of double standard, considering that Maria seems to wear the pants in their relationship and be about as protective of him as Joel apparently used to be, and yet he's never shown to complain.
* Why did Tommy leave the Fireflies? Joel implies that it's because Tommy got bored and quit, but was that the truth or just sour grapes from big brother? From what little we see of Tommy, he doesn't seem like the type of person who'd give up on a cause he believed in, and he still believes in saving humanity, even though he's taking a different route than the Fireflies are, so maybe this is the first hint that the Fireflies might not be as noble as we're led to believe.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Other Characters]]
* Sam gets infected and doesn't tell the others. Why? The obvious answer would be that he's worried they'd kill him if he did, (perhaps not his brother, but he wouldn't know about Joel), but another possibility is that, considering how overprotective Henry is of him, Sam was devastated at not being able to 'stay safe' per his brother's wish and didn't want to face him.]]
* Is Bill an eccentric in-universe CrazySurvivalist, or the game's OnlySaneMan (except for maybe Tommy and his ilk)? His [[ProperlyParanoid justified paranoia]] allowed him to make a house out of an entire ''town'', and he accurately predicts the dangers of Joel's relationship with Ellie. He also noticeably avoids the game's running theme of doing controversial things to protect those you love, even while he's clearly grieved by Frank's death,.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Ending]]
* In the ending, is Joel a noble PapaWolf or an ultimately selfish man motivated by the AdultFear of losing another daughter? That, or perhaps he's so vengeful against humanity, he's willing to damn them all for daring to take another little girl's life, considering what happened to his daughter in the prologue.
* It's noteworthy that Joel's response to Marlene's revelation is not "You can't do this." or "Are you insane?" but "Find someone else!". Indeed, would he have cared if they were doing it to a child he didn't know? Rewind to the beginning of the game, [[FridgeHorror and you're reminded how he refused Tommy to stop and help a family with a child so long as his own daughter was safe...]]
* Is Marlene a stressed, desperate leader who feels the ends justifies the means, or a BrokenBird ground down by the horrors of what the world has become and simply didn't have the strength of will to resist the urges of her people?
* Consider the sheer speed with which the Fireflies decide to scoop out Ellie's brain, potentially ruining their only vaccine source. Is it because the Fireflies are just that good at medicine, or is it desperation mixed with scientific incompetence?
* In the ending, is Ellie asking Joel to lie to her? Or is she begging him to protect her from that last bit of guilt? WordOfGod states that [[http://kotaku.com/the-last-of-us-climactic-moments-could-have-been-very-600685013 she knows he is lying to her,]] and that [[http://o.canada.com/technology/gaming/the-last-of-us-how-the-games-creator-envisions-its-ending/ as a result, she feels robbed of choice- it has ended her trust in him.]]]]
* Even if a vaccine had been successfully made, would the Fireflies really have distributed it quickly and/or fairly to people? They were on extremely bad terms with the military, immediately decided to kill an unconscious child, and it's ultimately implied that they wanted to kill Joel after he delivered Ellie because HeKnowsTooMuch. Their goal may have been noble, but in the end, it would appear that they might have kept a potential vaccine to themselves, or at most have distributed it in small dosages to chosen clients, which, when the word got out, would have caused mankind to turn even ''more'' on each other due to fighting over it.
* To add to the above, the ZombieApocalypse rampaged for ''20 years;'' could the world be considered too far gone for a vaccine to really have made that much of a difference? Anyone who's already infected (save for maybe early-stage Runners) is almost certainly too far gone for a vaccine to cure them. And even if the vaccine could cure them, it's not like the infected will just sit quietly and allow a cure to be administered (Hope someone has a dart gun). The vaccine would likely be best effective either as a prevention or for those who are recently infected but haven't turned yet, and since the human population is sparse, finding someone who could administer the vaccine before the victim turned would likely be a daunting task.
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[[folder:David]]
* Was David a BitchInSheepsClothing all along, or was he the decent guy he first introduces himself as, who merely snapped when realizing there was no use attempting to get along with strangers who in return did nothing but break his fingers and kill his men and was forced to resort to cannibalism to survive? Then again, he showed his paedophilic tendencies before he snapped and the other Cannibals call Ellie his "newest pet", implying he did such things before. Alternatively, is his AxCrazy personality during his and Ellie's BossFight due to the (supposed) infection from her bite showing its symptoms?
** Interestingly, Creator/NolanNorth (David's voice actor)'s own interpretation of David is that he genuinely cares for his group and indeed had good intentions towards Ellie to begin with, with her being a glimmer of hope for him similar to the way she is for Joel, but threw all morality out the window the more she fought against him.
** David apparently kept young girls as "entertainment" before Ellie, who all might have been naive and trusting of his kind and polite act in difference to Ellie who flat out refuses to join him. Nolan North even hinted that David might have viewed Ellie as different and considered her to be someone he eventually [[{{Squick}} could have children with]] to increase his group's numbers. Another possible interpretation of his reaction to Ellie's defiance is that David is NotGoodWithRejection.
* Ellie breaking David's finger. A badass or stupid move, considering there was no way she could have gotten a hold of his keys and she only escapes him and James within an inch of her life as a result? A better solution would probably have been to pretend she would join him, and then escape ''after'' he let her out. Though it might just boil down to her having acted rashly out of anger or panic.]]
* A lot of players interpret Ellie's sullen attitude at the start of the Spring chapter to be the result of her ordeal with David, when at that point, it's been at least a couple of months since it happened[[note]] recorders at the hospital reveals the date to be April 28th, while the fight with David was in the middle of winter[[/note]] and WordOfGod hints more towards her simply being down about her and Joel's journey almost being over. Joel will also comment that she seems "extra quiet today", meaning she was acting depressed that particular day.
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[[folder:Tommy]]
* While he's clearly a good man at heart who cares for his family and friends and wants to rebuild the world on a small scale, Tommy can come across as rather self-righteous and condescending to Joel. He doesn't seem to appreciate even the intent behind whatever Joel did to try and keep him alive, and rather than deny it was necessary, he just flippantly tells him it "wasn't worth it", which makes it seem like he thinks he's too good for him. It also comes across as him having a sort of double standard, considering that Maria seems to wear the pants in their relationship and be about as protective of him as Joel apparently used to be, and yet he's never shown to complain.
* Why did Tommy leave the Fireflies? Joel implies that it's because Tommy got bored and quit, but was that the truth or just sour grapes from big brother? From what little we see of Tommy, he doesn't seem like the type of person who'd give up on a cause he believed in, and he still believes in saving humanity, even though he's taking a different route than the Fireflies are, so maybe this is the first hint that the Fireflies might not be as noble as we're led to believe.
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[[folder:Other Characters]]
* Sam gets infected and doesn't tell the others. Why? The obvious answer would be that he's worried they'd kill him if he did, (perhaps not his brother, but he wouldn't know about Joel), but another possibility is that, considering how overprotective Henry is of him, Sam was devastated at not being able to 'stay safe' per his brother's wish and didn't want to face him.]]
* Is Bill an eccentric in-universe CrazySurvivalist, or the game's OnlySaneMan (except for maybe Tommy and his ilk)? His [[ProperlyParanoid justified paranoia]] allowed him to make a house out of an entire ''town'', and he accurately predicts the dangers of Joel's relationship with Ellie. He also noticeably avoids the game's running theme of doing controversial things to protect those you love, even while he's clearly grieved by Frank's death,.
[[/folder]]
