RDR2: Leopold Strauss Was Actually The Most Loyal Gang Member
Leopold Strauss was the Van der Linde gang’s very own loan shark, and even though this Red Dead Redemption 2 character was shady, it turns out he had a redeeming quality. Strauss was loyal to the gang to the very end, even when they kicked him to the curb.
It’s unclear exactly when or how Strauss joined the Van Der Lindes, but he was originally from Vienna before making his way to the U.S. as a teenager alongside his uncle. Following his uncle’s death, Strauss somehow got into the scheming business and crossed paths with Dutch, who eventually invited him to join their community.
Throughout the game, however, Strauss is portrayed as a villain who capitalizes on the hardships of the poor. Arthur Morgan starts seeing Strauss’ true nature when he’s tasked with berating the Downes family into repaying a loan. The patriarch, Thomas Downes, eventually succumbs to tuberculosis (after infecting Arthur), leaving his widow and son to repay the debt. Arthur eventually sees Edith Downes working as a prostitute in Saint Denis, and realizing how much worse off Strauss leaves people, he kicks him out of the gang. Strauss barely puts up a fight as Arthur shoves his baggage at him.
During the game’s epilogue, some time after Arthur’s death, John Marston learns that Strauss was picked up by the Pinkertons, acting on behalf of the government. While in Red Dead Redemption 2's Saint Denis, Charles informs John that the Pinkertons tried interrogating Strauss, likely using less-than-kind methods to learn information. However, to John’s surprise, Strauss never revealed anything about the gang. He died while in the Pinkertons’ custody, though it’s unclear what ailment or injury he passed away from. John can’t help but say a few nice words about Strauss, noting that he was “strong” and his loyalty was admirable.
It’s unclear exactly why Strauss never snitched on the gang, considering he had good reason given that Arthur so abruptly kicked him out. It may be that the loan shark had a change of conscience and felt bad for all of the harm he had caused in his line of work, so protecting the Van der Lindes was the least he could do. Or, perhaps the Van der Linde gang were more like a family to him than his stoic face let on. It’s revealed in the game that Strauss didn’t have a good childhood – he was born into poverty and had little to his name until he started money lending. Either way, regardless of all the questionable things Leopold Strauss did over the course of Red Dead Redemption 2, his loyalty to the Van der Lindes was unfaltering.