Is it appropriate to mention Snowball from Animal Farm here? Yes, the fact that Orwell doesn't have him suffer the fate of the real Leon Trotsky is interesting, but you don't get the feeling that Snowball has "dropped out of the story" in the sense of this trope: he flees from Animal Farm, presumably settles somewhere else, and his absence is felt and referred to by the remaining animals, making him an important character even in absentia.
Is it appropriate to mention Snowball from Animal Farm here? Yes, the fact that Orwell doesn't have him suffer the fate of the real Leon Trotsky is interesting, but you don't get the feeling that Snowball has "dropped out of the story" in the sense of this trope: he flees from Animal Farm, presumably settles somewhere else, and his absence is felt and referred to by the remaining animals, making him an important character even in absentia.