Honestly, if you just ran through The Last of Us Part II to get to the next combat encounter, you probably missed Eugene Linden entirely. You might remember the name from a throwaway line or that awkward moment in the library basement, but Eugene is one of those "ghost" characters. He’s never actually alive during the events of the game. He's already dead by the time Ellie and Dina head out on that snowy patrol.
Yet, his fingerprints are everywhere.
Most players just see the weed and the porn mags and think, "Oh, okay, the Jackson community had a fun grandpa." But Eugene represents something much heavier in the lore. He’s a bridge to the past—specifically the Firefly past—that Tommy and Joel were trying so desperately to bury.
👉 See also: Why Saints Row Cheats Xbox 360 Still Make the Game Better Today
The Life and Death of Eugene Linden
In the game world, Eugene died of a stroke at 73 years old. That’s a rarity. In a world where most people get their throats ripped out by Clickers or shot by hunters before they hit 40, dying of natural causes is basically a superpower. He was one of the "old guard."
Before he was Jackson’s resident marijuana farmer, Eugene was a soldier. A radical one. He fought alongside Tommy Miller in the Denver Quarantine Zone. We’re talking about high-stakes, "terrorist" level stuff—bombing checkpoints and fighting the military (FEDRA).
Eventually, like Tommy, he got disillusioned. The Fireflies weren't saving the world; they were just killing people. So he left. He settled in Jackson and became a mentor to the younger generation, specifically Dina. She speaks about him with a lot of warmth, which makes that early exploration of his "hideout" feel a bit like visiting a memorial.
What You Find in the Library
When Ellie and Dina duck into the library to escape the blizzard, they aren't just finding shelter. They're uncovering a life. If you take the time to look at the artifacts in that room, the picture of Eugene becomes a lot clearer.
- The Firefly Pendant: This is the big one. It confirms his history.
- The Photo of Him and Tommy: It’s a glimpse into the "young and angry" years of characters we only know as weary adults.
- The Grow Room: Behind a bookcase, there’s a full-on hydroponic setup. In a world with zero entertainment, Eugene was the guy keeping the vibes somewhat tolerable for the adults in Jackson.
It's kind of funny, actually. Here is this guy who was a hardened revolutionary, and he spent his final years meticulously tending to weed plants and collecting "adult" VHS tapes. It’s a very human look at what happens when the war ends and you just want to relax.
The Massive TV Show Change
If you're coming to this after watching the HBO series, you’re probably confused. In the show, Eugene (played by Joe Pantoliano) doesn't die of a stroke. He is shot by Joel.
That is a massive departure. In the game, Eugene is a symbol of a peaceful end. In the show, he’s a catalyst for the "Joel is a liar" narrative. According to the TV lore, Eugene was bitten during a patrol, and Joel executed him to "save" him from turning. But he did it in a way that felt cold, even to Ellie.
In the game, Ellie finds Eugene’s stuff and wonders if he knew about her immunity. She writes in her journal: "I wonder if he knew? No, he would have said something." It adds this layer of "missed connection." If Eugene had been alive, he might have been the one person who could have talked to Ellie about the Fireflies without the baggage Joel carried.
Why Eugene Matters for Ellie’s Journey
Eugene serves as a mirror. He shows what happens when a Firefly tries to go "legit." He spent his life fighting for a cause that ultimately failed, and he died in a quiet town, mostly forgotten by anyone outside of Jackson.
For Ellie, seeing Eugene’s life—the letters from his estranged family, the remnants of his service—is a reminder that there is no "happily ever after" for people like them. There’s just survival and the hobbies you pick up to distract yourself from the trauma.
The most actionable thing you can do next time you play is to actually read the letters in his room. Don't just grab the loot and run. Read the letter from his wife, Claire. It paints a picture of a man who chose a cause over his family, a mistake that many characters in The Last of Us are doomed to repeat.
Next Steps for Lore Hunters:
- Revisit the Jackson chapter and look for the photo of Eugene and Tommy near the workbench.
- Read Ellie's journal entries specifically written after finding the Firefly pendant; it reveals her internal conflict about the "cure" that never was.
- Compare the TV show's "Gail" (Eugene's wife) to the game's "Claire" to see how the writers shifted the emotional stakes for the adaptation.