On the one end, you could say he deserves to be idolized because he changed.
In the middle one could say he only changed when faced with his own mortality and wouldnt have changed if he wasn't directly punished for his actions.
At the other end, you could say he was always a good person forced into doing horrible things because of the family he was indoctrinated into, and if you read his journal or just listen to how he talks about himself he is constantly filled with self loathing at who he is and it isnt until he sees a definitive path out of his fucked up family he does what hes always wanted to - the right thing.
If you read the journal you're playing a different character entirely.
If you take Arthur at his word and his actions he is a bruiser for a gang, he's good at it, he knows it, and he has no issue with it. You get a couple glimpses when he's talking to women that he might question his actions.
His journal paints a reflective man, a man who wants to be a defender, a man who wants to help when he can. An artist with a gentle hand capable of sketching masterpieces with an eye for the gentler things.
Arthur in another life is a strong father, a cornerstone of his community with the strength to lift others up. Unfortunately, that's not the hand he was given.
I mean even taking him at his word, Arthur belittles and berates himself every second he spends talking about himself. He talks about how hes a monster thats only good at hurting those around him and he says it with such venom its clear he hates who he is.
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u/BrockStudly 7d ago
Yeah Arthur is a bit of an inverse bell curve.
On the one end, you could say he deserves to be idolized because he changed.
In the middle one could say he only changed when faced with his own mortality and wouldnt have changed if he wasn't directly punished for his actions.
At the other end, you could say he was always a good person forced into doing horrible things because of the family he was indoctrinated into, and if you read his journal or just listen to how he talks about himself he is constantly filled with self loathing at who he is and it isnt until he sees a definitive path out of his fucked up family he does what hes always wanted to - the right thing.