22 Characters Who Were Dealt the Worst Hands

All stories contain conflict. It’s one of the very first things they teach you in Fiction 101, before the three-act structure but after phallic euphemisms that can also be character surnames. Ideally, your hero learns to overcome their struggles; if it’s a real gritty one, they might be defeated or even turn to the dark side, but the conflict is key. Otherwise, it would just be two hours of some guy having a nice time.

Sometimes, though, you want to take the screenwriter by the wrist and say, “Okay, that’s enough, Satan.” Some of them torture their characters to the point that it’s reasonable to start wondering if they’re harboring some serious psychological issues that they’re taking out on some poor imaginary fellow and/or just getting off on it. That’s why user weeklygrind asked r/AskReddit, “What fictional character do you feel bad for the most?”