Loners Are Freaks: Difference between revisions

* This is made into a point in [[David Eddings|David and Leigh Eddings]]'s ''[[Malloreon]]'' series: The heroic Child of Light is surrounded by his friends and family (who also have the luck to be part of a prophetic [[Plot Tailored to the Party]]), whereas the Child of Dark is almost completely alone—no friends, just minions.

* ''[[Ender's Game]]'' [[Double Subversion|doubly subverts]] the heck out of this. Pretty much everyone intentionally isolates Ender to make him a more efficient commander. Which also makes him an asocial freak that he never really gets over. But useful!

*** The subsequent ''Shadow'' books do this even more clearly, though. Who's the villain? Achillies, who seems to be able to make everyone, except some of the battleschoolers, love him. He feels no attachment to them and is noted by Bean near the end as being empty and unable to understand true bonds. Who're the heroes? Bean, Mr. Antisocial himself, although {{spoiler|it is revealed that his detachment from humanity is more about him caring too much than too little}}. And Peter Wiggin, the terror of his brother's life and the ultimate "I can do it myself" loner. {{spoiler|Until he realizes just how good his parents are to talk to and after he marries Petra.}}

* Harry Dresden of ''[[The Dresden Files]]'' is a loner of the harmless variety. He has a small circle of friends, but he's more or less antisocial, only being immediately nice to pretty girls (not because he's a pervert, he's just the chivalrous type). People treat him as a freak, but not because he's a loner. It's because he publicly advertises his being a wizard and people think he's nuts.