One day the bullying escalated, and he was locked in a closet and pinned down while the other children tortured him. Unable to trust his teachers and fearing for his own well being, Dave began bringing a knife to school. As a teenager, his only friend was John Cheese, who approached Dave because he found his depressed demeanor 'funny'.ĭave was a victim of severe bullying through most of his young adulthood, and was tormented by an especially cruel group of boys during his Junior year of high school. He became reclusive in high school and refused to speak to anyone, including teachers. His adoptive parents signed him up for therapy, but he treated it as a joke and terrorized his therapist until he was pulled out of the program. As a child, Dave was socially inept and constantly felt excluded. Dave’s relationship with his adoptive family is described as being 'very awkward'- they do not communicate very often, and Dave suspects they are ashamed of him. His mother found it difficult to retain a house or job for a substantial amount of time, and because of this Dave was put up for adoption. Dave enjoys making jokes that others describe as 'too dark' or 'racy', but which he finds hilarious.ĭespite his issues forming emotional connections, Dave is very dedicated to the few people he opens up to, and has an easier time trusting women than men.ĭave’s mother was a 'bipolar prostitute', and he never knew his father. John describes Dave as being this way ever since high-school, while Dave himself considers his problems to have stemmed from a disrespect of authority in childhood.ĭave is shown to have issues with self-image, rendering him very self-conscious, and influencing his unique blend of self-depreciating humor and black comedy. He is very introverted, and reflexively pushes other people away due to his bad attitude.

His narration generally includes sarcastic remarks, existential quips, and incredibly low expectations in regards to humanity and his friends. In the film, Dave is portrayed by Chase Williamson with brown hair and a shorter, leaner build.ĭave often has a cynical and pessimistic view of the world around him. He does not give much thought to his appearance and is described with black, overgrown hair, bags under his eyes, and unshaven stubble. Dave is described to be a little under six feet tall with a chubby build.

John Dies at the End by David Wong