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* AtLeastIAdmitIt: [[spoiler:When she hears about Jake's true identity and goals, she comments that at least she admitted to her wrongdoings outright, instead of plotting to hide her mistakes forever]].
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* EmotionlessGirl: Most of the time, Michelle doesn't really emote, maybe even more than John.
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* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: [[spoiler:She's called out on her actions by many characters who otherwise sympathized with her situation, but pointed out that by doing what she did, she became the very evil she sought to destroy]].
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* KarmicNod: [[spoiler:Eventually agrees with everyone saying she should still be jailed for what she did in the end]].
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* NominalVillain: The PunchClockVillain variant. See below.
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* PunchClockVillain: She tells Jake outright that she's not evil, she just does a job for a paycheck.
* RevengeIsNotJustice: [[spoiler:Though her anger towards the Black Hats for what they did to her is understandable, everyone still holds her accountable for her actions. After getting arrested, she admits this herself]].
* RevengeIsNotJustice: [[spoiler:Though her anger towards the Black Hats for what they did to her is understandable, everyone still holds her accountable for her actions. After getting arrested, she admits this herself]].
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* WhenSheSmiles: [[spoiler:When Gerald visits her in the finale]].
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* PayEvilUntoEvil: In her own eyes, at least. [[spoiler:Michelle got robbed out of her life, so she plans to bring down the Black Hats and do the same thing they did to her company to their organization]].
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* SheWhoFightsMonsters: [[spoiler: In pursuing her revenge, she ends up doing the exact same things the Black Hats did to her]].
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* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: [[spoiler:Losing her company drove Michelle into villainy and getting even with the Black Hats]].
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* FriendlyEnemy: [[spoiler:When he gets trapped with the kids thanks to Kyle, he acts rather nice to them, even fatherly]].
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* GentleGiant: Towers over all his subordinates and he is quite amicable.
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* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: A variant where [[spoiler:the deceased is thought to be another person entirely, but it turns out that Arthur and Jeremy are one and the same]].
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* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:Arthur wants to turn himself in and apologize to Norman personally for killing his wife]].
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* HeartbrokenBadass: He's as badass as you'd expect from a mob boss, and just as broken inside after [[spoiler:the death of his wife]].
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* RedRightHand: Arthur is missing the ring finger on his left hand. In a subverted example, this actually humanizes him more: [[spoiler:His finger was cut off by Harold as he was torturing him, and he specifically chose that finger because he just had Arthur's wife killed]].
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* VillainNoLongerIdle: The one time Arthur actually takes matters into his own hands is when [[spoiler:it becomes clear there's a mole in the organization and he goes to confront him personally for his betrayal. Jake manages to kill him, however]].
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* VillainNoLongerIdle: The one time There are only two times Arthur actually takes matters into his own hands hands. The first time is when [[spoiler:it becomes clear there's a mole in the organization [[spoiler:he meets up with Norman and he goes to confront ends up fighting him personally for his betrayal. after kidnapping Evelyn. The second time was when Jake manages revealed himself as a spy to kill him, however]].Arthur and they end up fighting, though Derrick wins and kills Arthur]].
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* PrecociousCrush: 11 years old Henry gains one on 16 years old Evelyn after he meets her.
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* PrecociousCrush: 11 8 years old Henry gains one on 16 years old Evelyn after he meets her.
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* RedRightHand: Arthur is missing the ring finger on his left hand. In a subverted example, this actually humanizes him more: [[spoiler:His finger was cut off by Harold as he was torturing him, and he specifically chose that finger because he just had Arthur's wife killed]].
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* AbusiveMom: Had one of those growing up.
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* DarkAndTroubledPast: Abused by his mom and lost his dad. He met his future wife soon after but found no employment to support her so he ended up falling in the clutches of the Black Hats, which was led by Harold at the time.
* DisappearedDad: His father, the only person supporting him while he endured his mom's abuse, died sometime before Arthur met Amanda.
* DisappearedDad: His father, the only person supporting him while he endured his mom's abuse, died sometime before Arthur met Amanda.
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* DarkAndTroubledPast: Abused by his mom and lost his dad. He met his future wife soon after but found no employment to support her his wife so he ended up falling in the clutches of the Black Hats, which was led by Harold at the time.
* DisappearedDad: His father, the only person supporting him while he enduredtime. And then his mom's abuse, wife died sometime before Arthur met Amanda.[[spoiler:by their hands]].
* DisappearedDad: His father, the only person supporting him while he endured
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* EvilSoundsDeep: Has a low sounding, menacing voice.
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* KlingonPromotion: [[spoiler:Took Harold's spot after killing him for killing his wife]].
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* YouKillItYouBoughtIt: Defied. The leader of the Black Hats gets to wear his own hat to signify his leadership, but Arthur refuses to do so because [[spoiler:the previous leader killed his wife and tried to kill him as well]].
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* YouKillItYouBoughtIt: Defied. The He became the leader of after [[spoiler:killing Harold in self-defense, which was instigated by the Black Hats gets to wear latter killing his own hat to signify his leadership, but Arthur refuses to do so because [[spoiler:the previous leader killed his wife and tried to kill him as well]].wife]].
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* EvilAllAlong: Downplayed with [[spoiler: Eliza's father Derrick. He was revealed to be disguised as Jake and working for the heroes, but he also planned to use the situation to his advantage so he can hide his murder of his brother Francis]].
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* FieryRedhead: Kate has red hair and [[EvilRedhead she's not one for niceties most of the time]].
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* GoodAllAlong: From the few times we hear about him, it's hard to pinpoint whether he's nice or not. The story would later confirm that he is indeed nice, and in fact had always been the nicest of the three rich men of the town.
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* SheepInSheepsClothing: From the few times we hear about him, it's hard to pinpoint whether he's nice or not. The story would later confirm that he is indeed nice, and in fact had always been the nicest of the three rich men of the town.
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* PetTheDog: [[spoiler:Her interactions with Gerald, in which she acts slightly nicer than usual]].
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* PunchClockVillain: She tells Jake she's not evil, she just wants her paycheck.
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* ShootTheDog: Really, everything he does as Jake qualifies.
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* WorthyOpponent: In their final confrontation, John admits to Derrick that he's impressed with him being able to carefully plan the downfall of the BH and pull it off successfully.
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* ArrestedForHeroism: Well, as heroic as it gets, anyway. [[spoiler:Michelle's actions were technically beneficial to take down a criminal organization, but the act of her robbing their good and running away to hide puts her on the police's list regardless]].
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* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:Derrick is shocked to see her act so rigid with him in secret, in contrast to the sweet persona he first saw in her]].
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* CelibateHeroine: [[spoiler:Admits to Gerald in the end that she wouldn't have gone for John even if he wasn't a Black Hats member]].
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* HiddenHeartOfGold: [[spoiler:Michelle is notably only nicer to Gerald in the end cause she says that he redeemed himself in her eyes]].
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* JustifiedCriminal: [[spoiler:Her reason for planning to rob the Black Hats is because they destroyed her company before, which was all that she had]].
* KarmicThief: Downplayed. As we find out through the story, the Black Hats are actually mostly nice people who happen to work for a criminal organization so [[spoiler:Michelle's plan to rob them seems unwarranted. Until we learn that they actually destroyed her company]].
* KarmicThief: Downplayed. As we find out through the story, the Black Hats are actually mostly nice people who happen to work for a criminal organization so [[spoiler:Michelle's plan to rob them seems unwarranted. Until we learn that they actually destroyed her company]].
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* PunchClockVillain: She tells Jake she's not evil, she just wants her paycheck.
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* TheSmartGirl: Plays this role after we learn [[spoiler:she's on the side of good]].
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* StealingFromThieves: [[spoiler:The Black Hats robbed her specifically sometime before, so she decided to rob them back for revenge]].
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* ByTheBookCop: He's serious about maintaining order, though he can let up if the situation calls for it.
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* ChekhovsGunman: He was mentioned occasionally before [[spoiler:the revelation about his connection to Kyle and Norman]]
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* NoNameGiven: He goes nameless for most of the story.
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* SmallRoleBigImpact: He never even appears, but he's a big part of the reason why [[spoiler:Kyle has a grudge against Norman]].
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* UnnamedParent: He was the only parent whose name wasn't given right off the bat.
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* WeUsedToBeFriends: [[spoiler:With Norman]].
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* GrassIsGreener: [[spoiler:Ever since she lost her company to the Black Hats, Michelle longed for a peaceful life, which she went about getting by robbing them back, handing them to the police then fleeing]].
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* HonorAmongThieves: This belief is held by most Black Hats members.
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* IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim: [[spoiler:Samuel calls out Derrick's actions using this argument]].
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* JustLikeUs: The heroes were surprised to discover that most BH members turned out to be more humane than they seem at first glance.
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* JustBetweenYouAndMe: PlayedForDrama. Arthur planned to do this with Norman but not to gloat, it was to [[spoiler:admit he was the one who killed his wife years ago, apologize and turn himself in]].
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* BoyfriendBlockingDad: Her dad was one of those.
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Apparently neither of her parents approved of Arthur, which is what led to her getting together with him behind their back.
* DeathByIrony: Had she heeded her parents in their disapproval of Arthur, she would've lived.
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Apparently neither of her parents approved of Arthur, which is what led to her getting together with him behind their back.
* DeathByIrony: Had she heeded her parents in their disapproval of Arthur, she would've lived.
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* KillTheCutie: A lovable character who died years ago.
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* TargetedToHurtTheHero: [[spoiler:Harold threatened to kill her should Arthur refuse to kill Norman's wife Rose, then had her killed anyway to taunt him and goad him to try to kill him so he can retaliate]].
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* AllAPartOfTheJob: Despite the hardships and pressures that come with his job, Alan believes it's all worth it if he manages to help others.
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* ImNotAHeroIm: "...Just doing my job." is his general reply to praise.
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* MarriedToTheJob: He prefers to focus on his work than to pursue romance.
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* PoliceAreUseless: Generally averted. The police in town are said to be rather competent and ethical, with police chief Alan Chase being a prime example. They have however, struggled to bring down the Black Hats for a long time cause they always make sure to clean up their messes.
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* EvenEvilHasStandards: Mason sometimes makes a point to say he's above doing certain evil acts, such as murder. This seems to be just another part of his FauxAffablyEvil charm, but it seems more genuine when [[spoiler:we see him freaked out for the first time upon finding Jack's body]].
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* EvenEvilHasStandards: Mason sometimes makes a point to say he's above doing certain evil acts, such as murder. This seems to be just another part of his FauxAffablyEvil charm, but it seems more genuine when [[spoiler:we see him freaked out for the first time upon finding Jack's body]]. He also makes it clear that he looks down on Rebecca and Jack.
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* KlingonPromotion: An unintentional example. [[spoiler:When Arthur killed Harold, he only had survival on his mind. He ends up becoming the leader out of necessity]].
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* TheManBehindTheWoman: It turns out Rebecca started harassing the main cast so she'll be able to [[spoiler:lead them to Mason, who has an offer for them]].
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* Amy's father [[spoiler:Liam]] Thornton and [[spoiler: the Black Hats leader preceding Harold Liam]].
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* WeUsedToBeFriends: [[spoiler:Kyle and Norman]].
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* ArcVillain:
** Amy and Kyle for the first part of the story.
** Mason takes over Amy's spot slowly before he disappears. Though [[spoiler:he does appear again much later so he can be dealt with properly]].
** Jack emerges sometime after the Black Hats are introduced, and later [[spoiler:gets dispatched]].
** John winds up being the FinalBoss of the book after [[spoiler:Arthur dies]].
** Amy and Kyle for the first part of the story.
** Mason takes over Amy's spot slowly before he disappears. Though [[spoiler:he does appear again much later so he can be dealt with properly]].
** Jack emerges sometime after the Black Hats are introduced, and later [[spoiler:gets dispatched]].
** John winds up being the FinalBoss of the book after [[spoiler:Arthur dies]].
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* InsistentTerminology: Mike's father Mark would like you to remember that he's a mason, not [[DistinctionWithoutADifference a construction worker]].
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* FriendlyEnemy: Kyle is polite to the kids, despite them being wary of him for his hatred of Norman.
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* ItsPersonal: Has it out for Norman specifically, and thus he has no ill-will towards the protagonists or anyone else really, unless they bother him first.
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* ItsPersonalWithTheDragon: Inverted. Some antagonists have it out for Norman, Evelyn's father, and harbor no ill-will towards the actual protagonists, namely Kyle [[spoiler:and Arthur]].
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* {{Elopement}}: Arthur and Amanda did this because her parents didn't approve of him.
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* SharedFamilyQuirks: Eliza exhibits many that she shares with her father: pulling a DeclarativeFinger every time they start an explanation, speaking eloquently and addressing friends by FirstNameBasis only.
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* SharedFamilyQuirks: Eliza exhibits many that she shares with her father: pulling a DeclarativeFinger every time they start an explanation, speaking eloquently and [[PrefersProperNames addressing friends by FirstNameBasis only.formally]].
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* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:Derrick was surprised to see her act rigid and vengeful once she revealed to him that she's working to take down the BH, a sharp contrast to the sweet persona she had initially]].
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* AbhorrentAdmirer: Kate is actually attractive, it's her morality and actions that disgust John.
* BrainlessBeauty: Downplayed. Kate isn't a ditz, but by comparison to other characters, her ability to plan and orchestrate pales.
* CardCarryingVillain: As stated above, Kate is the only member who outright admits to being proud of being evil, because she sees that as the standard for all Black Hats members.
* DidNotGetTheGuy: In the end, [[spoiler:she gets arrested and John dies in a confrontation with Derrick]].
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* ALighterShadeOfBlack: Kate is no saint. She's selfish, envious and jerkish, though looking at Harold and how he manipulated ''her'', Kate at least has a heart and standards of her own.
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* ALighterShadeOfBlack: Kate is no saint. She's selfish, envious and jerkish, a bit of a jerk, though looking at Harold and how he manipulated ''her'', Kate at least has a heart and standards of her own.
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* EntitledBastard: He still expects respects from his underlings despite his mistreatment of them.
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* {{Jerkass}}: Big time.
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* BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler:She couldn't believe Harold didn't actually care about her like he claimed, and sheds tears of remorse for hating Arthur all these years]].
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* FalseFriend: [[spoiler:To Kate]].
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* UnknownRival: Norman doesn't really care much for getting back at Kyle despite the latter's obsession with their enmity. This is because he [[spoiler:regrets betraying him]].
* WouldntHurtAChild: Admits that he has nothing against Evelyn (or any of her friends for that matter) despite her being Norman's daughter.
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* TheMole: He was secretly spying on the Black Hats from inside and contacting the heroes to take them down.
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* TheMole: He was secretly spying on MoleInCharge: Derrick winds up quickly climbing the ranks and becomes close to the leader Arthur, which helps him in his mission to take down the Black Hats from inside and contacting the heroes Hats. Unbeknownst to take them down.him however, this was all part of Arthur's plan.
* TheSmartOneTurnsTraitor: She's the tech savvy secretary of the division [[spoiler:and is secretly TheMole as well]].
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: [[spoiler:Her partnership with Derrick is a little troubled thanks to her rough manner]].
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: [[spoiler:Her partnership with Derrick is a little troubled thanks to her rough manner]].
* DidYouActuallyBelieve: He takes his [[spoiler:betrayal of Arthur a step further by mocking him for falling for it]].
* FailureGambit: [[spoiler:Arthur concludes that his plan to turn himself in and apologize to Norman can only work on one condition: The Black Hats have to disappear. So he starts planning that, taking advantage of Derrick and Michelle, whom he found out to be spies]].
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* XanatosGambit: [[spoiler:Though Arthur didn't account for Derrick (disguised as Jake) to kill him before he can turn himself in, he has already planned ahead for something like this: He recorded a VideoWill in which he explained the situation and finally apologized to Norman and Evelyn for taking Rose away from them. To boot, Arthur discovered that Derrick was secretly sending the organization's info to the heroes so he put the video between the files]].
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* EvilFormerFriend: To Norman.
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* {{Hypocrite}}: When he finds out Samuel hates Hunter after the latter orders a service from their company, he tells Samuel it's stupid of him to hold a grudge against Hunter for once liking his wife in high school. Samuel immediately points out that Kyle had his grudge against Norman for years, although Kyle had a good rebuttal:
-->'''Kyle:''' [[HypocriteHasAPoint I don't see my grudge hurting the business like yours. And for the record, I have a better reason to hate Norman. You still have your wife, don't you?]]
-->'''Kyle:''' [[HypocriteHasAPoint I don't see my grudge hurting the business like yours. And for the record, I have a better reason to hate Norman. You still have your wife, don't you?]]
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* {{Hypocrite}}: HypocriteHasAPoint: When he finds out Samuel hates Hunter after the latter orders a service from their company, he tells Samuel it's stupid of him to hold a grudge against Hunter for once liking his wife in high school. Samuel immediately points out that Kyle had his grudge against Norman for years, although Kyle had a good rebuttal:
-->'''Kyle:'''[[HypocriteHasAPoint I don't see my grudge hurting the business like yours. And for the record, I have a better reason to hate Norman. You still have your wife, don't you?]]you?
-->'''Kyle:'''
* LoveInterestTraitor: John has feelings for her [[spoiler:and is unaware she's secretly working against them]].
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* NominalVillain: Michelle makes it clear that she's not a bad person, she's just in for the money.
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* PunchClockVillain: Michelle outright tells Jake that she's not exactly evil, she's just doing a job to get paid.
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* IWillPunishYourFriendForYourFailure: He uses this tactic on [[spoiler:Arthur by threatening to kill his wife if he doesn't kill Norman's wife Rose]].
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* MoralityChainBeyondTheGrave: Just how Gerald [[MoralityChain kept John from going overboard with villainy]], John[[spoiler:'s death]] only ensures that Gerald is more determined to become good, since he'd want the best for his little brother.
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* GleefulAndGrumpyPairing: The Grumpy to Gerald's Gleeful.
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* RedOniBlueOni: The Blue to Gerald's Red.
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* SiblingTeam: Again, with Gerald.
* SiblingYinYang: He's quiet and standoffish while Gerald is energetic and friendly.
* SiblingYinYang: He's quiet and standoffish while Gerald is energetic and friendly.
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* GleefulAndGrumpyPairing: The Gleeful to John's Grumpy.
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* ThePollyanna: Easily the most optimistic character in the book. Even after [[spoiler:losing his brother and enduring abuse at the hands of citizens]], he remains adamant about turning his life around.
* RedOniBlueOni: The Red to John's Blue.
* RedOniBlueOni: The Red to John's Blue.
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* SiblingTeam: Again, with John.
* SiblingYinYang: He's friendly and energetic while John is quiet and standoffish.
* SiblingYinYang: He's friendly and energetic while John is quiet and standoffish.
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* FreudianExcuse: [[spoiler:He was betrayed by Norman in the past, leaving him and Liam hurt]].
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* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He really cherished his friendship with [[spoiler:Norman and Liam]], and it being broken is what drove him to villainy.
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* {{Hypocrite}}: When he finds out Samuel hates Hunter after the latter orders a service from their company, he tells Samuel it's stupid of him to hold a grudge against Hunter for once liking his wife in high school. Samuel immediately points out that Kyle had his grudge against Norman for years, although Kyle had a good rebuttal:
-->'''Kyle:''' [[HypocriteHasAPoint I don't see my grudge hurting the business like yours. And for the record, I have a better reason to hate Norman. You still have your wife, don't you?]]
-->'''Kyle:''' [[HypocriteHasAPoint I don't see my grudge hurting the business like yours. And for the record, I have a better reason to hate Norman. You still have your wife, don't you?]]
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* JerkassToOne: Might be less than personable with most people, but gets downright mean-spirited with Norman.
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* TookALevelInKindness: He's a lot more nicer after [[spoiler:turning good]].