The Real Monsters: How The Last of Us Explores Humanity in Crisis
Envision a world where, as dawn breaks, waking up means checking your ammo, not your notifications.
Survival isn't just a concept—it’s an instinct. The world around you has crumbled into chaos, and the only thing more dangerous than the infected are the people still standing. This is the world of The Last of Us, a globally acclaimed narrative that doesn’t just explore the apocalypse—it dissects humanity at its breaking point.
After the cordyceps outbreak, more than half of the world’s population is gone—4.8 billion lives vanished almost overnight. And those who remain? They’re left to fight for every breath.
Photo by Ryan Chan
The Collapse of Morality
You experience this chaos firsthand as Joel, a smuggler tasked with transporting Ellie across a lawless America. As the world breaks into chaos, all sense of order, structure, and government is lost, and the only thing between one and death is survival instincts. The line between good and evil becomes blurry, and the meaning of morality shifts as the world is forced to commit heinous acts in the name of protecting those they love. Killing is considered everyday, and violence simply comes with the territory.
An early example of this new normal is when Joel and Tess kill a surrendering FEDRA soldier without hesitation—a cold, transactional act that sets the tone for what survival means. This scene reflects many others from the game, becoming an average occurrence. The old rules of society are gone—due process, mercy, and hesitation.
There is no right or wrong, only threat vs. survival.
Joel's ability to aim and shoot so easily, even when someone isn't fighting back, shows how much he and everyone else have adapted to a brutal world.
Love vs. the Greater Good
At the end of the first game, Joel faces a moral dilemma that has been debated since its initial release in 2013.
Should he save Ellie from dying in a medical procedure that holds the potential for a cordyceps vaccine, offering hope for millions, and possibly the world?
Or should he protect his practically adopted daughter, his most cherished companion, and to hell with the rest of the world?
Of course, he saves Ellie, killing any doctor, soldier, or bystander that stands in his way.
But is this act considered heroic or monstrous?
Unfortunately, Joel’s choice defies easy judgment.
For one, it's never guaranteed that the vaccine is possible.
Second, Ellie is never once questioned about what she wants to do.
She is given no chance to choose between life or death; instead, this decision is forced on her by the doctors and Joel.
The only choice Ellie is ever granted is to believe Joel's lies: that the doctors were killed by a raid and a cure wasn't possible.
Joel's decision to massacre the Fireflies is based on love, and we, as viewers, can only respect it.
The Corruption of Innocence
When Ellie is first introduced to the player, she is refreshingly sarcastic and painfully innocent of the horrors outside the sheltered environment where she grew up. She's hopeful and hasn't allowed the world's hate, violence, and brutality to harden her spirit. However, she is dragged into her own moral ambiguity after meeting Joel.
Ellie's first kill is a dramatic scene in the game, and it's extremely intentional.
It's her loss of innocence, choosing to kill another to save her new anchor, Joel.
She's shaken and scared; however, as the game continues, we only see this process become easier. With every kill, she becomes more and more unbothered. And by the end, she's changed. Hardened. But is she better for surviving?
The Real Threat
When first introduced to the world and story, the first enemy one can identify is the infected.
Ironically, the infected—the supposed monsters—are the most honest beings in the game.
They remain consistent, controlled, and predictable. They don't betray or lie.
Humans, in contrast, are unpredictable.
Hunters, raiders, and even cannibals all embody moral decay masked as civility.
For example, David, whom Ellie encounters while hunting, represents the darkest aspects of survival.
The infected are the background noise and simply are the mask behind the story's true villain.
When You’re Lost in the Darkness...
Any player of the game knows the iconic quote:
“When you're lost in the darkness, look for the light.”
This line offers a glimmer of hope, a promise that something better can still exist in a world ravaged by infection and violence.
However, in The Last of Us, light is never pure; it flickers and blinds as much as it guides.
The Fireflies claimed to be the light—but their cure came at the cost of a child’s life. Joel chose a different path, guided not by principle but by love.
Whether that makes him a monster or a man depends on where you're standing in the dark.
The Final Questions
The Last of Us leaves the haunting questions behind:
Could you tell friend from foe?
Could you kill?
Could you do worse?
If a loved one was infected, would you do the right thing?
Could you put your life on the line for me the same way I would for you?
Could you be, The Last of Us?
Because in the world of The Last of Us, the real monsters aren’t the ones infected by the virus—they’re the ones who still have a choice.
What would you choose?
By Blythe, with love.
