The various relationships between Dutch Van Der Linde gang members in Red Dead Redemption 2 are part of the reason it feels so real. Despite there being no real relatives among them, they all operate as a family in one way or another. Dutch and Hosea so often feel like they are the fathers of each and every member of the gang, but it’s also clear that some relationships are closer than others.

In a generational way, Arthur Morgan feels like the first child of Dutch and Hosea in Red Dead Redemption 2. The gang eventually grows, and Arthur Morgan develops a similar relationship with John Marston, one being a senior member and the other being a junior member just as Dutch and Hosea were to Morgan. Hosea and Lenny, at the same time, also seem to form a very close bond.

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Red Dead Redemption 2: Friends, Family, and Burials

The relationship between Hosea and Lenny is comparable to Arthur and John. Arthur Morgan grows to truly love and appreciate John, but it was a rocky relationship at the start. Arthur wants the best for John and his family in Red Dead Redemption 2, even dying to make sure that they get their best chance at a good family life. John tries his best to prove himself to Arthur and the gang, much like Lenny does to Hosea. It’s a full circle-style connection, but whereas Arthur and John must go their separate ways at the end of Red Dead 2, Hosea and Lenny stay together beyond death.

In random dialogue (seen above), Hosea and Lenny express a very similar desire for their burial. This is important in Red Dead Redemption 2 because death itself is a major theme and what a man does to redeem themselves in death. Eventually, John Marston would lose his life trying to redeem his past, and Arthur Morgan does the same. They die following the same code, just at different times. Hosea and Lenny die in similar circumstances, at different times, but are reunited in death.

Hosea and Lenny both say that want to be buried with friends or family, a foreshadowing of their ultimate fate of being buried next to each other in Bluewater Marsh. One could argue that these Red Dead Redemption 2 characters are buried with friends, but it’s very clear that they are actually buried with all the family they know. Indeed, the gang often looked to honor their comrades in death the best way they could, and this is one more example of that. More importantly, it’s an example of how far these familiar relationships went.

From Hosea and Lenny to Bill and Javier to Arthur and John, these partner-and-family-like relationships define where Red Dead Redemption 2’s Dutch Van Der Linde gang got its start. Had things shaken out differently, perhaps everyone could have had this sweet, tender moment for their death and burial.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is available on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.

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