Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death and physical abuse.

Scarred suggests that the convoluted road to redemption can be a deeply fraught journey for morally gray characters such as Tristan and Sara. Although Tristan is driven by hatred and a desire for revenge, his behavior toward those around him is just as cruel as his brother’s, and he ruthlessly ensures that others treat him with the respect he feels he deserves. This consistent behavior pattern indicates that he has very little compassion for anyone he views as being lesser than himself. For this reason, his complex journey toward redemption is marked by his internal struggle between his overt desire for power and his latent capacity for compassion. At the beginning of the story, for example, Tristan does not consider anyone to be his friend, and he remains isolated even though he is surrounded by those who have joined his rebellion. Even Edward, who is widely believed to be Tristan’s “only friend” and “closest confidant,” is merely a means to an end, and Tristan persists in believing that “friendships are fickle and often a waste of time” (29). Tristan even goes so far as to torture Edward for making a decision without his permission.