25 Ridiculous Hidden Details About Dutch Van Der Linde In Red Dead Redemption 2
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Dutch Van Der Linde is one of the most interesting characters in all of Red Dead Redemption 2. These are the most striking hidden details about him.
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It’s hard to deny just how large a role Dutch Van Der Linde plays in the first Red Dead Redemption. But the character plays an even bigger part in Red Dead Redemption 2, getting his own arc that is filled with ups and downs. Naturally, because of his increased screen-time, you learn a lot more about the charismatic gang leader.
Some bits of information are openly displayed in cutscenes, whereas others are more subtle. For instance, you can learn plenty of little details about the character just by keeping your ears and eyes open, even while just walking around your camp. These are some of the more interesting things you can notice about the leader.
Updated November 10th, 2021 By Ben Jessey: Since its release in 2018, few games have managed to match the quality of Red Dead Redemption 2’s main story. As it’s a character-driven narrative, a lot of its brilliance comes from those who play major roles in the tale. One of the most compelling figures is Dutch Van Der Linde.
The complicated leader is one of the best characters in gaming history. However, to truly understand and appreciate his greatness, you need to observe the little things about him. So, we thought we’d update our list of hidden details about Dutch to add a few more fascinating ones.
25 Dutch Loves The Work Of Evelyn Miller
While at camp, you may notice that Dutch spends plenty of time reading books. His favorite author is seemingly Evelyn Miller. Dutch talks about the writer and his work on several occasions. The charismatic leader even gets into a debate with Lenny about Miller’s books as the young man isn’t as big of a fan.
Dutch seems to agree with the author’s view of the world. Interestingly, though, when you meet Evelyn Miller later in the game, he has a completely different personality to the outlaw. Perhaps Mr. Van Der Linde misunderstood some of the writer’s teachings.
24 He Shares A Close Bond With His Horse
Many members of the Van Der Linde gang have their own specific horse. Dutch rides a beautiful white steed named The Count. Early in the game, Arthur talks to Charles about the strong bond between Dutch and The Count.
Arthur reveals that he tried to mount the horse once but was immediately bucked off. Apparently, the creature will only allow Dutch to ride him. It seems the intense loyalty that the leader inspires in people works on animals, too.
23 If Arthur Is Away For Too Long, Dutch Sends Somebody To Find Him
Red Dead Redemption 2 has a giant map that Arthur is able to explore. And there are so many little details and things to find that you can lose many hours just wandering around the place. But if you spend too long away from camp, Dutch gets worried and sends someone to find you.
As the Van Der Linde gang is getting chased by all sorts of adversaries, it’s understandable that they’d be worried about anyone they haven’t seen for a while. And Dutch would be especially concerned about Arthur because of the closeness the two share.
22 The Hypocrisy Of Dutch Van Der Linde
At his core, Dutch van der Linde is a hypocrite. He can be boiled down into many roles- antagonist, leader, hero, cultist, outlaw, realist, anarchist- but he is ultimately a man consumed by his own inability to stay consistent. Every ideal Dutch preaches, he ends up breaking in some way.
He is a man who calls for peace for the downtrodden and the defeated, but he actively attacks those who stand in his path towards power. He is a man who cares not for the value of money, yet bases all his decisions around ensuring financial stability. Dutch is a man devoid of ideology.
21 Dutch Lost His Father In The Battle Of Gettysburg
Narratively, the wound of the Civil War is still relatively fresh during Red Dead Redemption 2. Arthur can often interact with Civil War veterans on the side of the road, even donating to them should he be in need of some quick, easy honor. Needless to say, it’s one of the few reminders of the Civil War media.
Interestingly, later chapters in the game strongly suggest that Dutch lost his far in the Civil War. Specifically, it’s implied that Dutch lost him in the Battle of Gettysburg. Despite not being a particularly familial person, Dutch uses this as a form of motivation during the third chapter, albeit not in good faith.
20 The GTA 4 Connection
During Chapter three of the second game’s story, Dutch introduces himself as “Aiden O’Malley,” a pseudonym he makes up on the fly primarily to hide his identity. Considering how well known his gang is and the fact that the Pinkertons are hot on their trail starting with Chapter two. An alias is only natural.
Interestingly, Aiden O’Malley is also the name of one of Niko Bellic’s supporting players in Grand Theft Auto 4. This isn’t the first time Rockstar’s two equally great franchises have referenced each other, either. GTA 5 features a book titled “Red Dead” written by a certain “J. Marston.” Perhaps Jack wound up a writer after all.
19 You Can Find Dutch’s Mother’s Grave In Blackwater
Dutch is not a particularly familial person in spite of the show he puts on for his gang mates. While he does preach about family, and it is implied he does genuinely see themselves as a family, he rarely, if ever, divulges any personal information. He mentions his father, but seldom his mother.
Should you return to Blackwater during the course of the game, feel free to visit the Blackwater Cemetery. You can even read the tombstones. Should you desire to do so, you’ll find the grave of a Mrs. van der Linde. Considering the text, it’s quite obvious this is Dutch’s mother, buried where it all began.
18 “Favored Sons” Parallels With “And The Truth Will Set You Free”
Arguably Red Dead Redemption 2’s greatest strength as a sequel is its ability to comment on the cyclical nature of narrative. Any follow up will sooner or later become derivative of its source material should it play things too close. RDR2 is very similar, but it is aware of said similarities and uses them as a strength.
This is most clearly seen in “Favored Son,” a mission which parallels “And the Truth will Set You Free” from the first game. Both missions feature Dutch making a speech about his inability to “fight nature.” Where the former sees him using it as a boast, the latter shows a sincerity — a genuine belief that he cannot live amongst the natural world any longer.
17 Sadie’s Perspective: A Good Man Turned Bad
The second game’s opening is rather awkward on a surface level. Arthur, Dutch, and Micah save Sadie Adler and then they head back to camp. All these characters are major players, but the narrative takes a while to cement that. In hindsight, this opening is critically important when reflecting on Dutch.
In this mission, Dutch shows Sadie a tender care, wrapping her up in his blanket and giving her a new home. This colors Sadie’s impression of him, causing her to believe that Dutch was indeed a good man at some point before his mind suddenly snapped. It’s easy to believe this train of thought, but John has his own ideas.
16 John’s Perspective: A Bad Man Now Showing It
Where Sadie chooses to see the good in Dutch van der Linde, accepting that he was once a legitimately good man with a kind heart, John recontextualizes his feelings for Dutch to color him as a bad man who finally just let his true sideshow. Considering Dutch’s deterioration, there is a bit of truth to it.
After all, Dutch never goes into what happened at Blackwater. What kind of leader would do that unless he had something to hide? Dutch actively leaves John behind and, instead of admitting to it, tries to paint the picture of a hopeless John. Both interpretations are valid in their own right, but John is perhaps right in the end.
15 Dutch Only Cares About Himself
Arthur Morgan has the chance to do some bad things during the game, but he still cares about his allies. Dutch, on the other hand, is driven almost exclusively by ego. His family is called The Van Der Linde Gang, after all. Even though he shares the workload with Hosea, Dutch is the face and name of the gang. He distances himself from the action unless he knows he’s well guarded and almost every action in the game can be interpreted as self-preservation first and foremost.
This is best seen in how often Dutch leaves his men behind. During the bank heist, Dutch simply comments that John was imprisoned. Dutch then leaves Arthur behind when fighting the army, refusing to step in despite having a chance. Lastly, Dutch refuses to go back for John in Chapter six’s final mission, cementing his self-preservation once and for all.
14 What Really Happened At Blackwater
Although the game never gets into what exactly happened in Blackwater- particularly due to neither John or Arthur actually being present for the whole ordeal- you can piece together the main beats thanks to a mix of Arthur’s journal and Dutch’s true nature. It isn’t a particularly flattering picture.
Arthur mentions that Dutch shot a woman in Blackwater. This was likely Dutch’s attempt to create some distance between the gang and Pinkertons. From there, several gang members slowed themselves down and, instead of helping them, Dutch left them behind so that he could escape.
13 Dutch Never Donates His Own Money To The Camp
As the leader of the gang, it has to be brought into question: should Dutch donate as well? It is genuinely worth discussing as even Hosea’s name can be seen in the ledger, and often at that. Dutch’s name seldom, if ever, actually appears. This is to say nothing of what the gang’s main funds go to.
One of the first upgrades players end up getting will likely be Dutch’s personal camp. That in itself speaks volumes to Dutch’s true nature. None of his money goes towards the upgraded tent, but he gets it nonetheless. Granted, it actually does inspire others to donate, but they’re already more or less ingrained in a cult by that point.
12 Dutch Is Rockstar’s Most Prominent NPC
Rockstar’s supporting characters are quite interesting. More often than not, they lack actual character arc, but nonetheless end up some of the most compelling characters in the medium. They leave a lasting impression. Who doesn’t love Nigel West Dickens? Most interestingly, they barely appear.
The majority of Rockstar NPCs simply do not appear all too often. They appear for a few missions and then disappear for the rest of the game. Not Dutch, though. Dutch is Rockstar’s most prominent NPC yet, appearing more than any other NPC before him. In many ways, he dominates the narrative.
11 “One More Plan”
Dutch’s entire role in the plot effectively boils down to goading Arthur and the rest of the gang into accepting “one more plan, one last score.” With every Chapter, Dutch promises that “one more big score” will be enough to get the gang out of the states and take them to a tropical island where they can live in peace.
Of course, as anyone can expect, there never is “one last score.” For Dutch, this is just a rallying cry — a means of uniting the gang together so that he can push his agenda. There’s always a plan, there’s always a score. Dutch is cyclical and Arthur realizes that. Most of the gang realize that, but they’re in too deep to leave so they accept “one more plan.”
10 Dutch Is A Worse Leader Than Hosea
Although the gang itself is named after Dutch, Mr. van der Linde is not the sole leader. Rather, he shares that role with Hosea Matthews, Dutch’s right-hand man, and best friend. They’re two of the oldest members of the crew as they started the whole thing when they were in their late twenties/early thirties. They even raised Arthur together.
The sad part of their partnership is just how uneven it is. When it comes down to it, both men are flawed, but Hosea actually knows how to delegate. He treats others respectfully, moves carefully, and understands his limitations. Dutch pushes his gang with charisma, dwindling their numbers with every score.
9 Dutch Teaches His Followers How To Read
One of Dutch’s most endearing qualities is just how much he seems to care about education. Mind you, this is not education in a privatized sense, but a communal education where everyone works together to better their intelligence. As a lover of literature, Dutch passes on his skills onto his followers.
Both John and Arthur mention how Dutch taught them how to read. Considering how well the latter writers, Dutch taught Arthur quite a bit of technical skill as well. Strangely, but perhaps not so strangely, Dutch doesn’t teach his female followers how to read. For instance, despite being an intimate member of the gang, he never taught Abigail.
8 Dutch Influenced Javier Most
Javier is easily the most underwritten of the first game’s four chief antagonists. Bill Williamson gets the most screen time; Dutch van der Linde has the most narrative presence; and Edgar Ross thematically represents the hostile, changing locale. Javier, though, is a bit barebones. All you really know is that he took Dutch’s downfall hard.
Come the second game, and you see why Javier was just so affected. Dutch’s philosophy simply struck a chord in Javier. A romantic at heart, Javier was a revolutionary who then was forced to go to North. There, he found a home in Dutch. When Dutch lost his mind, Javier was forced to abandon his ideals and return to a country that abandoned him.
7 Dutch Genuinely Cares… When It’s Convenient
For as downright vile as Dutch is, he does genuinely care about his fellow gang members – both the likable and hatable ones. When Jack is taken, he sticks his neck out on the line to rescue him; when the O’Driscolls take Arthur, Dutch readies himself for revenge; and when Micah gets captured, Dutch requests Arthur go rescue him.
Unfortunately, for as much as Dutch does actually care, he is a man burdened by convenience. He will not help his family members if helping them does not benefit him. When John is imprisoned, Dutch refuses to send for him, requiring Arthur to go behind Dutch’s back. Dutch will not go out of his way if there’s no benefit for him to do so.
6 Dutch Will Martyr Anyone For His Cause
Kieran is one of the more fascinating characters in the game. Introduced incredibly early in the story, Kieran is an O’Driscoll gone rogue who ends up joining Dutch’s gang. For a good few chapters, he’s hazed, belittled, and despised by the rest of the gang. With nobody to care for him, the O’Discrolls find and end him.
This is incredibly important as it goes to show just how far Dutch will go for his cause. Even though nobody cared about Kieran, least of all Dutch, he uses his demise as a means to rally the gang. Kieran, who Dutch hated, becomes a martyr. Dutch van der Linde simply has no shame.
Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/red-dead-redemption-2-dutch-trivia-hidden-details/