THE OUTSIDER AND CHILDREN: INNOCENCE, VULNERABILITY, AND POWER


I. THE OUTSIDER AS A CHILD: THE FOUNDATIONAL TRAUMA

***[From Death of the Outsider lore & cutscenes] ***:

  • The Lonely Boy: The Outsider began as a vulnerable child:

    • Approximate ly 15 years old when sacrificed
    • Homeless orphan living on the streets
    • Describe d as "nameless" and "forgott en"
    • Selected precisely because he had "no family to notice his absence"

  • ** The Sacrifice**: The ritual that created The Outsider was fundamentally a crime against a child:

    • Kidnapped by cult ists
    • Held against his will
    • Ritually murdered while fully conscious
    • Experienced "terror beyond words" during the process

[From Death of the Outsider cutscenes]:

  • In visions given to Billie Lurk, we see glimpses of his face as a boy - frightened, confused, and in pain
  • The cult leader describes the boy as "perfect in his innocence" - suggesting they deliberately sought a child for their ritual

II . THE LONELY RAT BOY: A MARKED CHILD

*** [From in-game books & Heart revelations]*** :

  • The Child with the Mark: Among the eight known individuals bearing The Outsider's Mark is a child known only as "The Lonely Rat Boy":

    • Young boy described in the in-game book "The Tales of the Rat Boy"
    • Lived in Dunwall's sewers
    • Received The Outsider's Mark
    • Gained the power to control rats

  • The Heart's Revelation: When pointed at children, The Heart occasionally says : "The Outsider walks among them at times, testing the waters of their young minds."

*** [From book excerpts in Dishon ored]***:

  • The story suggests The Outsider appeared to the boy after he was abandoned :
    • "The rats were his only friends"
    • "Black-eyed spirit gave him power over his friends"
    • "Used his gifts to punish those who had been cruel to him"
    • The boy's fate is left ambiguous in the story

III. EMILY KALDWIN : FROM PROTECTED CHILD TO MARKE D EMPRESS

[From narrative pr ogression across games]:

  • **Emily as Vulnerable Child **: In the original Dish onored:

  • 10-year-old daughter of Empress Jessamine

  • Witnessed her mother's murder

  • Became symbol of innocence Corvo must protect

  • The Outsider shows interest in her fate without directly interfering

  • Evolut ion to Marked Individual: By Dish onored 2:

    • Now an adult and Empress
    • The Outsider appears during coup
    • Offers her his Mark saying: "I've watched you grow up, royal daughter"
    • Shows his long-term observation of her devel opment

[From The Outs ider's dialogue with Emily]:

  • His comments reflect watching her transition from child to adult :
    • "I saw Daud's blade take your mother . Now I'm showing you another path."
    • "As a child, you played games and listened at keyholes. Now you'll play a different game."
    • Suggests he viewe d her childhood as preparation for her adult choices

IV. THE HEART OF JESSAMINE: MATERNAL PROTECTION

[From the Heart's function & dialogue]:

  • Maternal Connection: The h eart given to Corvo/Emily contains Jessamine's spirit:

  • " I am bound to him, this young man with the wary eyes" (referring to The Outs ider)

  • When pointed at children , often gives protective or sympathetic responses

  • Suggests The Outsider preserved a mother's protective instinct within his creation

  • The Outsider's Explanation: When giving the Heart :

    • "The Heart of a living thing, molde d by my hands"
    • Created from Jessamine's heart after her death
    • Serves as guide and revealing tool
    • May represent his most compassionate action in the series

[From the Heart's revelations about children]:

  • The Heart consistently shows concern for children's wellbeing:
    • " So young, and already grown small with grief."
    • "The children are starving. When the tide is low, they search the mud for treasures."
    • These compassionate observations contrast with its often darker revelations about adults

V. CHILDREN IN DISTRESS: THE OUTSIDER'S OBSERVATIONS

[From The Outsider's commentary throughout games]:

  • Noting Children's Suffering: The Outsider frequently comments on children's situations:

  • On orphans in the Floodle d District: "The children have no food, which means they have no choices."

  • About Emily 's abduction: "The child empress is hidden away, and locked in a golden cage."

  • On child laborers: "The youngest are sent into the smallest spaces of the machinery. Some don't come back."

  • Tone of Commentary: His observations about children:

    • Lack his usual detached amusement
    • Often delivered with subtle underton es of concern
    • Suggest he views children's suffering differently from adults'

[From scenario settings across games]:

  • Multiple missions involve children in danger :
  • Rescuing Emily in the Golden Cat
  • Orphans exploited in the Flooded District
  • Child workers in Jindosh's mansion
  • These scenarios often receive specific commentary from The Outs ider

VI. HILDEGARD PIROS: CHILD PROPHET OF THE VOLD

[From Death of the Outsider lore] :

  • The Child Seer: Reference to a young girl named Hildegard Piros :

    • 9-year-ol d child who prophesied about the Void
    • Claimed to hear voices from "the deep places"
    • Drew pictures of a "black- eyed youth" before any known descriptions existed
    • Eventually executed by the Abbey for heresy

  • The Outsider's Connection: Texts suggest:

    • He may have appeared to her in dreams rather than marking her directly
    • She received visions from the Voi d without his active intervention
    • Her writings predicted events that would happen centuries later

[From collectible documents]:

  • Her story appears in banned books and suppressed Abbey records
  • Her final words were reportedly: "He waits in the in-between, born of both worlds but belonging to neither."

VII. SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATIONS: CHILDREN AS INNOCENCE

[From thematic analysis across series]:

  • Children as Moral Barometers: Throughout Dish onored:

    • The treatment of children reflects the moral state of society
    • High chaos increases child suffering
    • Low chaos creates better conditions for children
    • The Outsider notes these changes in his commentar y

  • Emily as Symbolic Focus: In the first game:

    • Her drawings reflect the player's chaos level
    • Her dialogue changes based on Corvo's lethality
    • The Outsider remarks on these changes: " Little Emily sees more than you know."

[From environmental storytelling]:

  • Children's toys, clothing, and belongings appear in emotional conte xts:
    • Abandoned toys in plague-ridden apartments
    • Small shoes in flooded areas
    • Drawings pinned to walls of deceased families
    • These environmental details often trigger Heart or Outsider commentary

VIII. CHILD WITNESSES : THOSE WHO SEE HIM

[From scattered lore & dialogue]:

  • Child Perception: Multiple references suggest children are more likely to perceive The Outsider :

    • Overheard conversation: "My son claims he saw a black-eyed man in his room. The Abbey would take him if they kn ew."
    • Graffiti apparently written by children : "The black-eyed man watches"
    • Notes from parents about children's "imaginary friend with dark eyes"

  • Ab bey Concerns: The Abbey particularly fears this connection:

    • Special "youth sermons" warning against listening to voices from the Void
    • Children caught drawing Void symbols receive special "corrective education"
    • Overseer warning : "The Outsider seeks impressionable minds"

[From the Royal Physician's notes]:

  • Sokolov theorizes: "Children's minds may perceive frequencies of reality adults have learned to filter"
  • Speculates this explains both supernatural sightings and childhood "imaginary friends"

IX. PIERO JOPLIN'S CHILDHOOD VISIONS: FEVERED CONNECTIONS

[From Piero 's journals & dialogue]:

  • Childhood Illness: Natural Philosopher Piero Joplin first encountered The Outs ider as a child:

  • During a serious fever at age 9

  • Near death from the illness

  • Had vision of "a figure with eyes as black as the deep ocean"

  • Received scientific inspirations during these fever dreams

  • The Outsider's Perspective: When discussing Piero:

    • " His mind opened when he was very young"
    • Suggests childhood connection without formal Marking
    • Viewed Piero's childhood receptivity as interesting

[From collectible entries]:

  • Piero writes about this childhood experience:
    • "The black-eyed spirit first came to me in childhood sickness"
    • "I thought it dreams from the fever , but the ideas he showed me worked when tested"
    • "My young mind was perhaps more malleable , more accepting of impossibilities"

X. PARENT AL THEMES: THE OUTSIDER AS ORPHANED CHILD AND ORPHAN-MAKER

[From narrative parallels across games]:

  • Th ematic Orphaning: Many key characters connect ed to The Outsider lose parents:

    • Emily loses her mother
    • Corvo effectively orphaned of royal protection
    • Bil lie Lurk witnessed her mother's death
    • Daud implied to have uncertain parent age
    • The Outsider himself an orphan

  • The Outsider's Commentary: He notes these connections:

    • To Billie: " We both know what it's like to watch our mothers die"
    • To Emily : "Your mother's death left a hole in the world"
    • These statements lack his usual detachment

[From symbolic analysis]:

  • The recurring orphan motif suggests:
    • The Outsider may be drawn to those who share his childhood trauma
    • Loss of parents as a catalyst for significant life changes
    • His own childhood vulnerability continues to influence his selections

The relationship between The Outsider and children throughout the Dishonored universe reveals a complex, multifaceted aspect of his character that differs significantly from his interactions with adults. His own origin as a sacrificed child creates a foundation fo r understanding his perspective on childhood innocen ce, vulnerability, and potential.

Unlike his often detached amusement with adult choices , his observations of children typically contain subtle undertones of concern, and possibly even protective instinct. This is particularly evident in his creation of The Heart (preserving a mother's protective nature) and his commentary on the suffering of children in Dun wall and Karnaca.

At the same time, he demonstrates a recognition of children's unique receptivity to the Void - whether through The Lonely Rat Boy's marking, Piero 's childhood visions, or Hildegard's prophecie s. This suggests he views children as both more vulnerable to and more naturally attuned with the Void's influences.

The recurring themes of orphaned children and lost parents throughout the series, beginning with The Outsider's own origin, create a thematic thread that suggests his selections and interventions may be partly influenced by his own childhood trauma - a humanizing aspect of an otherwise often detached cosmic entity.

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