Lending Money: Sinful Or Sensible?

Money Lending and Other Sins is a main story mission in the video game Red Dead Redemption 2. It is part of a series of missions in which the player, as Arthur, must collect debts for Leopold Strauss. Strauss asks Arthur to collect debts from ranch hand Chick Matthews, Polish smallholder farmer Mr. Wróbel, and ranch maid Lilly Millet. The mission is notable for being the point in the game's story where Arthur contracts tuberculosis.

The player collects debts from ranch hand Chick Matthews, Polish smallholder farmer Mr Wrobel, and ranch maid Lilly Millet

In the video game Red Dead Redemption 2, Money Lending and Other Sins is a Main Story Mission. The player collects debts from ranch hand Chick Matthews, Polish smallholder farmer Mr Wrobel, and ranch maid Lilly Millet.

Leopold Strauss asks the player, Arthur, to retrieve money from three debtors who owe him. Strauss greets Arthur at the camp and asks for his help with his loaning business. Strauss wants Arthur to collect debts from Chick Matthews, Mr Wrobel, and Lilly Millet.

Chick Matthews will be located at Guthrie Farm, grooming his horse. Arthur can ask a rancher sitting on a log if they have seen Chick, who will point him in the right direction. Chick will then be seen fleeing on his horse. Arthur chases him, lassos him off his horse, and asks him for the money. Chick tells Arthur that he hid the money in a tree and gives him a map.

Mr Wrobel will be located on his farm, Painted Sky. Arthur bursts into Wrobel's home and confronts him, but Wrobel speaks very little English. Arthur mentions Leopold Strauss' name, which Wrobel immediately recognizes. Wrobel panics and tries to explain that he has no money, but Arthur, now angered, beats him and takes some of his possessions instead.

Lilly Millet is located at Emerald Ranch. She is seen arguing with her boyfriend Cooper about money. Arthur confronts Lilly and asks her to pay her debt, but she states that she does not have the money and looks to Cooper to help her out. Instead of handing over the money, Cooper attacks Arthur, initiating a fight. Arthur defeats Cooper and loots him for the debt. A witness spots this and attempts to tell the law, but Arthur stops them.

After collecting a debt, Arthur can return to camp and put the money in the donation box.

Arthur beats Mr Wrobel, who doesn't speak English, and steals his possessions

In the video game Red Dead Redemption 2, Arthur Morgan is tasked with collecting debts from several people, including Mr Wrobel, a Polish immigrant who manages a ranch in West Elizabeth. Mr Wrobel does not speak much English, and Arthur struggles to communicate with him. Eventually, Arthur mentions Leopold Strauss' name, which Mr Wrobel recognises. He becomes frightened and tries to explain that he has no money, but Arthur, enraged, throws him to the floor and begins to beat him. Mr Wrobel, terrified, eventually allows Arthur to take some of his possessions to cover the debt. Arthur ransacks the house, opening drawers and cabinets in search of valuables. He finds enough to pay off the debt and returns to camp.

Mr Wrobel is a minor character in the game, and the encounter with Arthur is part of a mission called "Money Lending and Other Sins". The mission involves Arthur collecting debts from several people who owe money to Leopold Strauss. Mr Wrobel is one of three debtors that Arthur can choose to collect from. The player must beat the first five missions in Chapter 2 before starting this mission.

During the encounter, Mr Wrobel's limited understanding of English is highlighted, as he is only able to speak Polish and some German. Despite the language barrier, Arthur's aggressive behaviour and the mention of Strauss' name make it clear to Mr Wrobel that he is in a precarious situation. The player has some agency in how the situation plays out, with the option to take Mr Wrobel's gold wedding ring or leave it with him.

The player can also choose to steal Mr Wrobel's horse, although this will result in a loss of honour. Additionally, there is an antique watch that can be taken, which holds high sentimental value for Mr Wrobel. The player can choose to keep the watch for themselves or leave it behind.

Arthur collects Lilly Millet's debt from her boyfriend Cooper, who attacks him

In the video game Red Dead Redemption 2, Arthur collects debts from three people as part of the "Money Lending and Other Sins" mission: Chick Matthews, Mr. Wrobel, and Lilly Millet. Lilly Millet is located at Emerald Ranch, where she lives with her boyfriend, Cooper.

When Arthur arrives at the ranch, he finds Lilly and Cooper arguing about money. Lilly is upset that Cooper has wasted all her money, but Cooper assures her that he will pay her back. Arthur asks Lilly to pay her debt, but she says she doesn't have the money and asks Cooper to help her pay it off. Instead of cooperating, Cooper attacks Arthur, and a fight ensues. Arthur defeats Cooper, and Lilly tells him to take the money from Cooper, who has all of it. Arthur loots Cooper for the debt, but a witness spots this and tries to report him to the law. Arthur manages to stop the witness from saying anything.

After collecting the debt from Lilly, Arthur can then return to camp and put the money in the donation box. If the player collects all three debts before returning to Strauss, he will ask Arthur to visit Thomas Downes, but there will be no more debts to collect for this mission.

Arthur confronts Strauss at the camp and gives him money, forcing him to leave

In the video game Red Dead Redemption 2, Arthur is tasked with collecting debts from several people. After collecting debts from Chick Matthews, Mr. Wróbel, and Lilly Millet, Arthur rides back to camp and confronts Strauss, who had sent him to collect the debts. Packing his bag, Arthur tells Strauss that he won't kill him, but that he probably should. Arthur expresses his disgust for Strauss, stating that he embarrasses the gang. Strauss is shocked by this, responding that "the sick delude themselves". With the camp watching, Arthur gives Strauss money and forces him to leave.

If Arthur's honor is low, he will be more self-serving, angry at Strauss for wasting his time. If Arthur's honor is high, he will be angry at Strauss for damaging the lives of the people he gave loans to, telling him that they are not decent men, unlike the people who took the loans.

During the mission, there are several foreshadowing quotes that Arthur will remember during his final ride to camp in the "Red Dead Redemption" mission, depending on his honor. If Arthur's honor is high, he will remember J. John Weathers' reply when he tells him to get his wife to safety: "Thank you, feller. You know, there ain't enough kindness in this world, that's for sure."

On the other hand, if Arthur's honor is low, he will remember Mrs. Londonderry's response when he tries to collect her debt: "There ain't nothing left, mister." If Arthur absolves her debt and gives her his money, Mrs. Londonderry will tell him, "Why, you're a good man. I just wish you'd done it before [my husband] worked hisself into the grave." This quote will play in Arthur's memory if his honor is high.

The mission "Money Lending and Other Sins" is a significant turning point for Arthur, as it leads to his contraction of tuberculosis, which eventually causes his death.

Arthur's tuberculosis

In the video game Red Dead Redemption 2, Arthur Morgan, a member of the Van der Linde gang, contracts tuberculosis (TB) from a debtor, Thomas Downes, during the mission "Money Lending and Other Sins III".

Arthur is tasked by the gang's loan shark, Leopold Strauss, to collect a debt from Downes. When Arthur arrives at Downes' ranch, he finds him working in the garden and the two engage in a conversation during which Downes can be seen coughing. Despite Downes' pleas that he is unwell, Arthur, under duress from Strauss, continues to demand the money. The game forces this interaction until Downes coughs up blood, some of which lands in Arthur's mouth, infecting him with TB.

Although players have the option to not physically assault Downes, it is impossible to prevent the character from coughing blood on Arthur and giving him TB. This interaction serves as a pivotal turning point in the game's narrative, leading to Arthur's eventual death. As the disease progresses, Arthur's symptoms worsen, and he begins to come to terms with his mortality.

While there are fan theories that suggest Arthur contracted TB from someone other than Downes, the game's narrative strongly implies that the infection occurred during this specific encounter. Arthur himself speculates in his journal that he contracted the disease from Downes, stating: "All them bullets shot at me, all them horses threw me, all them fights and it was the beating of that pathetic little fella Downes that killed me, I reckon".

The player's actions can determine how Arthur dies at the end of the game. If his honour is low, he will be stabbed by Micah; if his honour is high, he will die peacefully of TB.

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