History Heartwarming / RedDeadRedemption2

*** Also, if you saved Jimmy Brooks from certain death in one of the first missions of Chapter 2 ("Polite Society, Valentine Style"), not only do you get a pen from him (along with the Honor increase), but he will also be the first voice you hear in Arthur's last ride in High Honor mode, professing his gratitude to you for saving him earlier.

* The relationship between Penelope Braithwaite and Beau Gray. They're seemingly the only family members with any common sense, as they know how pointless and destructive the two families feud has been to the town and they've been carrying out a secret relationship. Arthur agrees to help the two of them escape from their cousins so they can go to the city and live a better life together. It's touching that Arthur despite being a dead man walking because of his disease takes time out to help the two escape and live a better life, likely out of regret for not running off with Mary when he had the chance.

* In the story mission “Favored Sons”, there comes a point where Arthur and Dutch are cornered into the edge of a cliff by the US army. They must raise their hands and surrender to not be shot. If Arthur chooses to keep his hands down, he is gunned down. As paranoid as he is at this point, [[AFatherToHisMen Dutch]] draws his pistol and fires back, only to be gunned down immediately afterwards.

* It's revealed that at one point, John ditches the gang for an entire year. When he comes back, he's welcomed back with open arms. The only apparent person to hold a grudge is Arthur (which is based on John's treatment of Jack and Abigail), and even he doesn't openly treat John poorly. As the game progresses, they slowly become friends (again), understand each other's problems and just casually chat in missions. Arthur and Sadie even break John from prison, and their friendship finally culminates in Arthur using his remaining time to ensure John can live a full life with his family. Even as the remains of the gang tried and failed to remain functional, their friendship endured it all.

** Of the many camp events that happen at random, one involves John brushing Jack off when the latter wants to play Greek heroes with him. Much later in the final campsite another random event sees John happily playing along with Jack, swinging sticks as though they were swords at each other, [[CharacterDevelopment and John encouraging his son with complete earnest]].

* A bit Meta, but by the time the final Mission in Chapter 6, "Our Best Selves" is about to start, it's clear that Arthur will die soon. Given that, after the last mission, John will be playable, it's possible for Arthur to make things easier for him by, basically, going out and buying a lot of clothes and saddle upgrades, and killing and looting rival outlaws to get valuables. In fact, if this is before "My Last Boy", make sure to get the Satchel Upgrades too, to hold more valuables. Since Arthur's not going to be needing any money soon anyways, and, annoyingly, John's not going to have any, buying every set of clothes, as well as all the upgrades for the guns, and so on, will make things easier for John when he's playable. Also, with all of those valuables that Arthur collected, come John's time, John can go to a Fence in Blackwater, sell a bunch of them, and walk away with a few hundred, or thousand, dollars. Likewise, leave the mail that contains money in the mailbox, until John is playable. Again, this gives John extra money, that he can then use on other things. As it is, stock up on ammo, as John will get whatever is left, from the regular stuff, to the explosive stuff. Yes, Arthur knew that John would need those incendiary rounds one day - just the thing to send Micah on his way to hell!
** Even better: visit the Aberdeen siblings, endure their {{Squick}}y interactions and let them drug and rob you of all your money, but don't retrieve it just yet. Years later, John can return and take Arthur's likely thousands of dollars from the First Bank of Aberdeen.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Other/Meta]]
* In the ''Polygon'' article entitled "[[https://www.polygon.com/2019/3/12/18260456/red-dead-redemption-2-illness-tuberculosis What Red Dead Redemption 2 gets right about having a terminal disease]]", one author, Eirik Gumeny, writes that he learned to avoid characters he could relate to when he was growing up with another terminal disease (cystic fibrosis), "as they never seemed to exist as ''people''." But when he played ''[=RDR2=]'' and discovered that it would end with Arthur Morgan dying of tuberculosis, it turned out that Arthur was facing the same difficult situations Eirik had experienced when he had CF; but that, like Eirik, the disease is a part of Arthur, not the other way around. The article ends on a positive note:
-->"''Red Dead Redemption 2'' never defines Arthur Morgan by his tuberculosis. He is shown to be more than his disease, despite the omnipresence of his symptoms and the fully realized world reacting to his ever-worsening illness. He has power over his own life, and his personality doesn't begin and end with his illness. [...] I finished ''Red Dead Redemption 2'' a few weeks ago, and I left Arthur on that mountaintop, bloody and broken. But Arthur Morgan is still with me. [...] Arthur will always be there to remind me that I am more than my disease. That there are still things left to do. That, while I may not always be here, I am for now, and that means there’s still time to get to work."
* As mentioned in the Tearjerker page, John O'Creagh, Uncle's original voice actor, died in 2016, before the prequel was made. The lake called O'Creagh's Run in Ambarino? That was named after him.
* Similarly, Mount Hagan is named after Ross Hagan, the voice actor of Landon Ricketts, who passed in 2011.
** A Red Dead Online daily challenge has you go to the top of Mount Hagan, which isn't even the highest mountain in the game. One can definitely theorize that whoever coded and added that daily challenge to the game did this out of respect for Ross.
* The first time you go to Blackwater while playing as John, there's a chance a wagon riddled with arrows will zoom right past you before it pulls to a stop. Examining it will reveal both passengers are dead, no doubt the work of the Skinner Brothers who live nearby in Tall Trees. The single horse pulling the wagon has a few arrows in it and is scared out of its mind, but it's still alive. Which means it's completely possible to cut it loose from the wagon and take it as your own.
* Some of the top comments from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdW5-uJqCVY this YouTube video]]:
-->"I learned so much from a man that never existed"\\
"Dutch died at the foot of the mountain and Arthur died at the top of the mountain"\\
"Arthur is not just a game character, he's our brother. We lived his tough life. We laughed with him, we cried with him. He was an unforgettable person."
* In ''Red Dead Online'', there is a surprising amount of players who choose to spare Cliff in the mission Love and Honor, because they genuinely believe Allison is off better with Cliff than her {{Jerkass}} husband from the beginning cutscene. It's not unusual for you to get to the moral choice in the mission with a bunch of strangers and for the Help prompt to get instantly chosen.
* Likewise, in Online, it's sometimes possible for random strangers to help one another. There's even videos of it.
** One case, one player helped another take in their second 3-star alligator to the butcher as their horse was already carrying one.
** In another case, a player lost their footing in a river, and was at risk of going over a waterfall to their death, only for a second player to lasso and thus save them from their death.
** Then there was the case of a player, who was away from the controllers, while his character stood in the rain. Another player lassoed them, placed them on the back of their horse, and took them into a train station to remain dry.
* In Online, griefers can be an annoyance, especially when they wait at spawn areas to kill folks. Enough of this can cause strangers, who had never previously interacted, to temporarily team up long enough to fill said griefer with enough lead to sink a boat, along with arrows, and explosives, and blades. Sometimes the impromptu posse finds a train, or a savage animal to aid them.

"Dutch died at the foot of the mountain and Arthur died at the top of the mountain"

"Dutch died at the foot of the mountain and Arthur died at the top of the mountai

[[folder: Main Story]]

--> '''Sadie''': You're the only one of these fools that I trust!

--> '''Arthur''': Be Careful.
--> '''Abigail''': I don't have to, I have you as a friend.

--> On the other hand, I met this poor bastard Gray boy - BEAU - and his forbidden love - MISS PENELOPE - quite the most alive creature I have seen down here. Suddenly, I’m marching as a suffragette. The looks of loathing on the faces of the locals delighted me while their leader - a Mrs Calhoun amused me. I don’t know much about good causes, nor the joys of democracy, but I enjoyed my little experience riding alongside them. World is certainly changing fast.

--> '''Dutch''': Watch out for this one, Arthur! He'd eat you alive!

--> '''John''': "Arthur Morgan". Why, hello, old friend.

--> '''Arthur''': Damn the debt. Just get her somewhere safe.\\

--> '''Arthur:''' I guess... ''*voice cracks*'' I'm afraid.
--> '''Sister Calerdon:''' There is '''''nothing''''' to be afraid of, Mr. Morgan. Take a gamble that love exists, and do a loving act.

--> '''Arthur:''' I'm coming with you. I'm gonna get you out of this bullshit, if it's the last goddamn thing I do!

[[folder: Strangers & Side Quests]]

-->"I learned so much from a man that never existed"
-->"Dutch died at the foot of the mountain and Arthur died at the top of the mountain"
-->"Arthur is not just a game character, he's our brother. We lived his tough life. We laughed with him, we cried with him. He was an unforgettable person."

--->BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS

* Early on, the gang is still a [[TrueCompanions one big family]]. They may quarrel with each other, tease each other, fight each other, but it's clear [[FireForgedFriendship they look after each other]]. Case in point, much of the early missions involve getting gang members out of trouble and taking care of them. Dutch is a true and literal [[AFatherToHisMen Father to His Men]], and the gang is all too happy to call each other brothers for they are indeed Dutch's children.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/img_20200223_234516.jpg]][[caption-width-right:350: ''Ay, ay, ay, ay! Canta y no llores!'' [[labelnote:*]]Sing and don't cry![[/labelnote]]