Basic Trope: Everyone thinks a solitary character is evil... But they're not.
- Straight: Everyone makes up rumors that Bob, a local loner, is an unsavory character. When Alice gets to know him, he turns out to be anything but.
- Exaggerated: Bob is on several watchlists and can't step outside for fear of inciting nationwide riots. He turns out to be one of the nicest people - if not the nicest person - in existence.
- Downplayed: Bob is suspected of the crime of the week, but when Alice goes to investigate, he's very nice to her and she finds out he didn't do it.
- Justified: Bob can't control what other people say about him, plus, he figures that anyone who would take the time to get to know him would be a worthwhile friend.
- Inverted:
- Subverted:
- It turns out the rumors were true. Bob is a serial killer with a penchant for killing whoever comes to his door.
- Bob isn't a serial killer, but he is a genuinely grumpy antisocial person who doesn't want friends and wants everyone to just leave him alone.
- While Bob isn't evil, he still has No Social Skills, poor hygiene and can be VERY clingy. There's a reason no one tries to get to know him.
- No matter how genuine Bob’s niceness is, he is still really that bad.
- Double Subverted:
- But he knows it too, as well as anyone, so that's why he chooses to be alone, to protect others from himself.
- As more people get to know, Bob is a Jerk with a Heart of Gold, who just prefers to be alone.
- Parodied: It becomes obvious that Bob isn't hated by the community; he deliberately isolates himself to cultivate a "cool loner" image.
- Zig Zagged: Depending on the Writer, Bob may or may not be a good person.
- Averted: He keeps to himself because he is socially awkward; not because he's a freak.
- Enforced: "Let's teach the kiddies the ever-popular 'don't judge a book by its cover' lesson."
- Lampshaded: "So the loner's actually a nice guy? I feel like I'm on an after-school special."
- Invoked: Bob tries to keep himself separated from other people out of concern for their own well being.
- Exploited: Bob really is a nice guy, but Corrupt Corporate Executive Charlie Cashface uses his unsavory reputation to get him thrown out of town so Cashface Inc. can turn his property into condos.
- Defied: Alice refuses to get to know Bob, in spite of the evidence he is a nice guy.
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: ???
- Deconstructed:
- After the rumors that Bob is a freak get spread enough, they start to get ingrained in the society's consciousness. As a result, Bob is unable to be treated as anything but a freakish monster.
- While many people are indeed too shallow to see Bob's Hidden Heart of Gold, Bob is His Own Worst Enemy since he makes no effort to try to better himself or change how he interacts with other people. Bob eventually has to accept that he's the only constant in his relationships, and that he needs to meet other people halfway in order to make friends.
- Reconstructed:
- Bob likes it (or at the very least doesn't mind it) that way.
- A few rise above society's prejudice and befriend Bob, becoming the only good friends he needs no matter how society views him.
- Alice's niceness to Bob causes him to actually become the kind, shy loner she thought he was.
- Implied: Bob seems to be a creepy loner, but Alice gets a very thoughtful anonymous gift, and Bob seems to smile when hearing she liked it.
Back to Misunderstood Loner with a Heart of Gold.
