Dutch van der Linde

Information
Dutch van der Linde is a recurring character in the Red Dead series, appearing as a central character and one of the primary antagonists of Red Dead Redemption, as well as a central character in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Personality and Philosophy
Dutch seems to carry a philosophy similar to other characters in Red Dead Redemption. Dutch has an anarchistic worldview and seems to want a world that goes somewhere along the lines of a Hunter-Gatherer Society, a world that opposes technology and governmental control and where men fight to survive and live the lifestyle they choose, free from any rules and regulations; a world where men live very much like they did in the old Wild West. Dutch shows a common disgust and contempt for urban cultured towns like Blackwater or industrialized cities like Saint Denis. As these locations serve as a monument to technological and industrial progression and government-enforced order and peace, all of which Dutch violently opposes. Dutch equates technological and industrial progression as powerful ways the federal government can exert authority and control over the population, especially disenfranchised groups of people such as the Native Americans and people who live in poverty.

Another part of Dutch's philosophy seems to be a desire to return to the older ways. While the New West of the 20th century promotes clothing, technology, and civilization, Dutch seems to want to move back to the Old West of the 19th century which promotes survival, discipline, and fitness and using skill and courage to overcome hardship. As the culture in the west progresses towards a modernist view that praises and rewards forced conformity, incorporation, order and employment on a large societal scale. Dutch would prefer people to remain civilized where they are and allow the Old West to survive in the way to which it has grown accustomed, and if the Federal Government will not allow him or his people to live their lives the way they wish, he will fight for his perceived right to live as he wishes.

It should be noted that Dutch's heavy emphasis on personal values such as liberty, equality, cultural tolerance and natural law aligns with Enlightenment ideas that encompassed the Age of Enlightenment movement during the 18th century. Many of the models and theories proposed during this time are currents of thought that Dutch frequently uses to share his beliefs. Dutch is particularly a frequent user of the Social Contract which is an enlightenment examination model used to highlight how individuals in a society surrender their freedoms to a higher power or authority. Dutch's worldview states that law and political order are not natural nor dependent on government and that human rights are universal and inalienable. Dutch often laments that in the New West, individual rights and freedoms must be sacrificed to an authority he views as greedy, dishonest, exploitative and prejudiced. The Old West is the perfect environment for a society based on natural rights, which is why Dutch violently opposes anything that threatens to end this way of life.

Personality
Dutch himself is shown to be a merciless killer who justifies killing innocent people or lawmen as a way of combating the corruption of the federal government. Despite his brutal ways, Dutch is shown to be educated and unlike many outlaws genuinely believes he is committing these crimes for idealistic reasons rather than greed. His anti-government and pro-individualist idealism created a charisma that attracted a following of people who had been downtrodden by the society they lived in. Several members of the gang were orphans, widowers, minorities, town drunks or former prostitutes; people who had felt they had no purpose until they joined the gang. This created a strong sense of unity within the gang and a great sense loyalty between Dutch and his gang members.

Despite at times being rather brutal in his methods, Dutch would often joke around with his fellow gang members and had a kind, playful disposition. He would often make motivational speeches to encourage the gang to come together in times of hardship while preaching that "loyalty" and "faith" were among the highest and most honorable tenets. Before Hosea's demise, he often consulted him and Arthur on important decisions, putting it to a discussion and vote between the three of them when deciding on the direction of the gang, demonstrating how much their opinions meant to him.

At the peak of his power, Dutch displayed genuine compassion for his fellow gang members and treated them as family members in a way that made them feel appreciated. He complimented them on their resilience and ability, thanked them for their loyalty, and saw to it that they were supplied, fed, and sheltered. His generosity endeared him to new members, many of whom had known little but harshness, pain, and struggle. His capacity to believe in others and help them believe in themselves was reciprocated, as they in turn believed in him. He employed a highly flexible command system within the gang. Although he demanded that members give loyalty and do their share for the gang as a whole, he also encouraged them to be themselves, make use of their free time, and optimize their own talents and skill sets. Thus, at his best, Dutch commanded a balanced brand of leadership that not only required followers to have structure and discipline but also allowed them to express freedom and individuality.

Throughout his life, Dutch was known to demonstrate incredible courage that was much admired by his followers. Especially as events unfolded by 1899, his fearlessness often overlapped into recklessness. While facing rival gang leaders, Mafia dons, power barons, or law agents, Dutch often had no qualms with confronting any such opponent head-on. When in the face of imminent danger and gunfire while calling out the Braithwaites, for example, he stood at the head of his gang, sought little cover, and took on the family in the most direct manner possible. He had the utmost faith in his gang to overcome almost any situation regardless of the odds and regarded his most capable lieutenants such as Arthur Morgan and John Marston as his collective ace in the hole.

The Pinkertons' relentless pursuit along with the constantly increasing pressure from civilization that the Van der Linde gang faced during its final months began to affect Dutch. He became more driven by ego, money, and vengeance, beginning to outright despise anyone who questioned him. As his behavior grew more aggressive, violent, and erratic, so did his plans. Dutch callously killed powerful figures like Angelo Bronte and Leviticus Cornwall solely out of vengeance with little regard for the outcome, going against his previous ideology that revenge was a fool's game. This increased attention and dangerous consequences for the gang as a whole.

After the disastrous bank heist in Saint Denis, Dutch puts a tighter grip on the gang and takes his valuing of loyalty to an extreme by labeling anyone who questions him as a "doubter" and lessened the freedoms the other members of his gang once had. This makes it easier for him to make flat decisions that decide the course of the gang without taking any input or criticism from those he is leading. Unlike before, he started to value Arthur's opinion less and less due to doubts he had in him and would consult with Micah more because he'd never question Dutch. In fact, whenever a member of the gang questions Dutch's actions, he immediately sees the act of doing so as traitorous and a threat.

Dutch commonly referred to John Marston and Arthur Morgan as his brothers or sons with Dutch himself and Hosea becoming fatherly figures for John and Arthur, implementing a family-like relationship with the gang members that have stuck by him for over several years. However, as Dutch became more nihilistic and paranoid, Arthur and John started to question his leadership and decisions, resulting in Dutch becoming increasingly resentful and suspicious of their motives. His paranoia and disdain for the "doubters" is shown when Dutch leaves both John and Arthur to die (as well as leaving John to be arrested by Pinkertons during the bank robbery in Saint Denis).

When Arthur is almost stabbed to death by a soldier while fighting alongside Dutch, it is clearly shown that Dutch deliberately left Arthur to die when he could have helped him. However, once confronted by Arthur on the subject, Dutch denies this and acts as if it never happened, whilst telling him not to be a "fool" and that "everything is coming together, exactly as I planned".

Not long after, Dutch would leave John to die during a train robbery following an argument with Arthur on allowing John to leave the gang to protect his family. Dutch was silently angered at the prospect that John was willing to leave the gang to protect his own family. When John was shot and left behind, Dutch lied to the entire gang, claiming that John had died. However, unexpectedly, a wounded John turned up to confront Dutch about leaving him to die. Again, Dutch denied it. Years later, when confronted by John during a bank robbery, Dutch would admit that he made a mistake, but immediately and callously brushes off the betrayal by saying, "I never claimed to be a saint."

A testament towards how much Dutch values loyalty can be seen in Dutch's relationship with Micah Bell. During the final days of the Van der Linde gang, Micah became Dutch's most trusted consultant, as Micah, unlike Arthur, never openly questioned any of Dutch's actions no matter what they were. Dutch trusted in Micah so much that when Arthur revealed that Micah was the Pinkerton spy, Dutch couldn't bring himself to admit this fact, even after Micah shoots and kills Susan Grimshaw. It was only years later that Dutch would finally come to terms with Micah's betrayal and exact vengeance.

By 1911, the once idealistic rogue had degenerated into a delusional maniac and frantic killer who was secretly aware that all of the horrible crimes he committed had changed nothing about the government or society. In his final moments, Dutch expresses remorse for his actions, telling John that he couldn't stop fighting for his ideas even though he realized the futility of it because he is unable to combat his own fundamental nature. He even described himself as a "monster". Before committing suicide, Dutch told John that "Our time has passed", signifying his acceptance that the Old West way of life was dead and his ideals along with it.