(Originally published on November 3rd, 2025. Edited for clarity and to take out sections that were either irrelevant or detracted from the point of the post.)
So, I’ve talked a LOT about this Norton Campbell already from character analysis posts to fanfiction and there’s still a lot of things left to say and observe about this man. Thus, I wanted to write up this piece in order to just dump my thoughts on some things that have been on my mind for a while. Just take it as my usual rambles and nightly musings.
Note: I do get into a rather touchy topic at the end (one that I feel many have struggled with and can be triggering. I know I kind of was when writing it, so skip number 3, if it’s too much).
1. He is malnourished
Look at how proud he is, the big guy beating up the little one smh. Just awful…
I remember first seeing this being talked about by a certain Norton fan on Twitter who mentioned they never hear talk about how malnourished Norton is. This is true. I always thought it interesting how small Norton looked for apparently being a miner who has worked all his life in the mines. Where’s the muscle?
Right here, of course! Right~?
And no, his washing board doesn’t count in cosmetics like his summer fit and…the recent “Fool’s Gold” fit.
But on a more serious note, we can see in his character trailer how he compares to the other miners and well, they certainly looked better physique-wise. For Norton, it’s highly probable that going to the shelter to look after Benny is one reason he is the way he is.
It’s said in his recent birthday letter that he would bring fresh bread for Benny to eat but would eat moldy biscuits instead. Norton also mentions to Alice in the affection system about having to eat stale bread in this quote: “Understand me? You ever eaten stale bread, stuck in your pocket for three days, covered in dirt and grime?”
He kinda looks the same size as Benny here, ngl. Well, that is…certainly something…
Considering his black lung disease, which only debilitates him further, one can only guess that how physically weak he must actually be. It just may appear that he is okay because he has had to be in survival mode for most of his life and both his mind and body don’t know any other way to live. You know how you hear those stories of people somehow surviving or doing incredible feats of strength due to an adrenaline rush? That’s basically Norton but that rush is every day of his life.
You guys ever see what a black lung actually looks like? God, no wonder Norton really does sound like he is hacking up his lungs when you play as him in game…
His body is a wreck, mates. And it’s a wonder he is somehow holding it together especially when you also take into account that he has been traveling here, there, and God knows where in search of the treasure from Benny’s list of 13 mines. All to end up with nothing but a magnet that only just barely improves his situation in life.
What’s even worse is that even at the manor, he could partake in better and more nutritional food but it appears he doesn’t. His favorite foods to eat are milk, bread, and tea…which isn’t a lot but that’s all he could afford for most of his life. Even if he did eat something else, like…say, foie gras, then how would his body react?
I can’t remember which one of you guys mentioned this but someone did say that since his body is too used to consuming the usual poor meal of bread and milk that eating anything else could upset it. The body needs time to acclimate to other types of food which sounds kinda messed up but it’s true.
Anyways, this point was a bit longer than I thought it would be so onto the next.
2. He’s lonely
The affection system really was a treasure trove of lore.
I feel like this is rather a more obvious one as the whole affection system is testament to this fact. Like this dude acts like he really really REALLY wished Alice would leave him the freak alone and even says as much in the beginning at low affection. Yet, as he grows more familiar with Alice (rather begrudgingly I may add), he slowly but surely opens up.
I mean, at full affection he becomes a yapper and answers her questions without too much fuss. He even seems to carry the conversation sometimes though he does have his limits and even tells her that they’ve talked long enough and to go do something else (which again just implies that they’ve been talking for a while…wowee, what progress from him simply saying “…”)
“Tomorrow’s another day. More work. More tiredness. More loneliness. Same old grind.”
Norton is, uh…very relatable if you’ve worked…pretty much any job in our current society. Yet, of course, in his case, it’s 10 times worse and he has been stuck doing it since he was a child. Let that sink in, especially those of you who work at rather lackluster jobs you wish you could escape from.
But it’s interesting that he does admit not just being tired but lonely as well. And that makes sense. The only person we know of that was even the remotest bit close to Norton was Benny who was a close friend of Norton’s father and by extension was a family friend to Norton.
Yet, while that old man did seem to hold some good intentions in the beginning (see Norton’s 2023 birthday letter), it’s possible there were some ulterior motives at play for both parties. Which seems clear when we know Norton absconded with Benny’s list without the man knowing until it was too late.
Speaking of, I feel as if when I’m talking about this aspect of Norton, many of you are envisioning Prospector Norton, yes? But may I remind you that “Fool’s Gold” is Norton too.
When I was editing my video last night, I accidentally paused on this shot and golly, no wonder Alice just bolted cause that smile is devilish.
It’s kind of hard to envision this big somewhat monstrous rock creature with such a malcious smile is any bit lonely but let’s take a bit of a more closer eye to it, yes?
For instance, take a look at his deduction notes. I always found it interesting that Prospector’s Deduction notes are all labelled with words of positive connotations: Kindness, Diligence, Efficiency, Persistence, Patience, Courage, Alert, Share, Wisdom, Lucky.
From “Fool’s Gold’s” Design Concept Video.
And then you read the notes underneath each one and it’s kind of sad to read. I won’t list all but here are some in order as you go down the list:
Kindness: “Is that an Olive Branch you just threw, or…” (First deduction quest)
Diligence: “The more effort, the more rewards?”
Persistence: “People won’t be unlucky forever, right?”
Patience: “Next time…”
Alert: “You need to be more cautious…”
Lucky: “That’s only because the rest are just unlucky.” (Last deduction quest)
As you can see from the ones I selected, it feels as if Norton slowly over time loses his goodwill and morals as he became more jaded with the world and the fate that was handed to him. No matter how much he worked or strove to better his life, nothing worked and he continued to be looked down on and mocked by those who technically SHOULD have been more empathetic since they were in the same position as him.
Yet, “What else can the son of a miner be but a miner?”
A quote that has been said by Norton a handful of times but have you ever stopped to wonder if it originated from him? It’s seems plausible that those who saw his efforts and ambitions would say such a thing to him because in the society they lived in, the poor would always remain poor and the rich would continue to fill their pockets with the hard earned efforts of those working in the slums.
That quote was probably hammered into Norton’s head from a young age to the point a part of him started to believe it. He says in the video that he “once thought the same” implying that his view of being stuck as a miner’s son changed. Unfortunately, it probably coincided with the sharp sour feeling that the whole world truly was against him. So naturally, his jadedness and disappointment turned into bitter anger and resentment towards the apathetic and mocking world he grew up in.
But he’s still a human being at the end of the day even as a hunter.
Let’s take a look at “Fool’s Gold’s” Deduction quests: Shrewd, Lonely, Sophisticated, Willful, Gloomy, Greedy, Arrogant, Hypocrite, Ruthless, Numb.
Well, they’re certainly more negative in connotation this time, eh? But what I really find interesting is the fact that it’s his Hunter identity that have words like “Lonely” and “Gloomy.” “Numb” also stands out. The rest are what one typically thinks of when they think of “Fool’s Gold.” He is seen as the more violent and ruthless side of Norton who mercilessly regards others as just stepping stones to his greater success. This isn’t wrong, but it’s also not the full picture of who he is.
From “Fool’s Gold’s” Background Story.
And understandably, he feels less sympathetic than Prospector because of how he is presented. They even mention his dehumanization as “Fool’s Gold” in his concept video. In this instance, it’s both in body and mind. He is supposed to feel less human and more the physical embodiment of all those negative ideas from above in this rock creature that he has become.
Yet, that also includes the more “colder” words that seem unlike the bloodthirsty violent pickaxe wielder we’ve come to love and hate.
Lonely: “The loneliness of separation must be endured on the climb up.”
I’ll also include the note for this one: “A coin: Stained by ash, footprints, tears, and dirt from the slums.”
Sophisticated: “Wear a mask for the sake of survival”
Note: “A note on the back: What a detestable person! Wagging his tail like a dog in front of the overseer!”
Gloomy: “The other side of kindness and affability.”
Greedy: “Merely retaking what the heavens owe.”
Numb: “Forget them and stay away from the dark underground.” (Last deduction quest)
Note: “Maybe it can keep me away from misfortune and darkness.”
I think after reading this, it’s pretty clear that the petrification of Norton Campbell isn’t just a physical thing we see with him being made of mostly rocks as “Fool’s Gold,” but also the hardening of his emotions and heart. I mentioned this before in a recent post but in order to survive and attempt to thrive in a world full of pain, coal dust, and mockery, he had to become the very monster that suppressed him for so long with little regard to treating him like an actual human being.
I even mentioned how as a hunter, it’s interesting Norton uses his pickaxe to create “unstable ground” where each time he uses his pickaxe it mimics what one would think a mine crumbling and ultimately collapsing would feel and sound like. He subjects the survivors to the same pain and trauma that haunted him day in and day out in those mines, every day thinking it could be his last. I say this as someone who actually has been jumpscared by the sound of his pickaxe and the walls exploding like a mini earthquake around me.
“Unstable Ground” is the title of his base trait and the trait that makes him who he is. He inflicts it on others, just as he felt it back in those mines.
The fact he says this to Alice in the affection system both backs up my argument but also feels a bit saddening in a way.
Because did he necessarily want to become that way? Of course not, but he was forced to in order to survive because at the end of the day, Norton Campbell simply wants to. Live. A. Better. Life.
Which seems impossible to achieve.
Let me say here that it’s not like Norton just decided one day to throw away his morals and kinder nature, he did mentally struggle a lot. I mean, he was struggling so badly against himself that it went from a mental struggle to a physical struggle, holding his head and clawing at his face.
From “Fool’s Gold’s” Background Story.
It means, he is fully aware of why going to the darkside is a bad idea but succumbs anyway because it became too much, the constant struggle to survive, the failed ventures with the 13 mines, the constant ridicule, forcing himself to suck up to his superiors, etc. etc.
“He tired easily, and his lung disease worsened, but this physical pain was nothing compared to the “infection” spreading from those finer wounds. Whenever the infection began, he felt a fear of falling into an endless void. This fear was more pronounced in dark environments as if he had been placed in the bottomless mine where he had spent his life trying to escape”
-From his official character introduction.
While I know “Fool’s Gold” isn’t traditionally seen as being someone you’d look at and think “Aww, how lonely he must be” or “I wonder if that senseless smile of his also masks some of his pain,” but in this section I also wanted to point out how this identity of Norton tends not to be casted in too many different lights outside of the violent, almost senseless murderer people like to cast him in.
If you look back at his deduction quest, specifically “Greedy” it aligns with the fact that a lot of things in Norton’s life has been taken from him. Despite working hard and striving to do his best with the hand given to him, life still stole so much from him whether that be his health, his happiness, his childhood, his will to see another day (which I’ll get to a bit later), but you name it, and it’s more or less been taken from Norton…or there never was anything to take because this man has virtually not even received too many opportunities to better his life.
Oddly, I do think the recent essence can be an example of this. His greed to find the treasure of this galaxy ended up causing him suffering with the fact he even ended up in a black hole for a bit while also losing his “friends.” Yet, he still forcibly mastered the black hole and became the abyss itself and in turn ended up being the one to become a black hole sucking anything that got to close in despite still suffering it’s effects…
But back to his current actual reality, considering Norton has had very little agency in his own life especially acting as the quiet, diligent miner who worked hard to please his bosses, it’s no wonder he flipped the switch and forced himself to wear a mask, numb the least important emotions, and ditch being the mining poster boy and greedily take what he felt was owed to him from the actual blood, sweat, and tears, he’s had to pour into his daily life in order to survive.
It’s a meme but it’s truly embodies what his two identities are like with each other.
Okay, …did not think this would be so freaking long—holy. How did I have this many thoughts? Well, I’ll finish this point here, but I do have one more point that I warn again, it’s a bit of a sensitive topic as it pertains to the loss of one’s life.
3. The will to live was at least at one time, non-existent
This point may be a bit controversial but I saw a tweet last night talk about how the Golden Cave incident wasn’t just Norton trying to blow up his fellow miners, but it was also a possibility that he was also trying to end his own life.
And it’s not the first time I’ve seen this brought up. I think it’s understandable to read the incident that way if you comb through his lore and get a feeling for his character and story through a little careful analysis. I think it’s also helpful if you yourself can relate to Norton in any way and have felt…well, such ideations. Thus, it could be seen a bit as projecting but considering the dark nature of IDV and the nuances the painstakingly put into the lore, it’s unfortunately not a far-fetched conjecture.
Considering he already had to come to terms with the fact that every day he ventured into those mines to work, it could be his last, I think it’s more so he was ready to die because he’s faced death practically every day. While you can learn to cope with that, how much of a mental toll that takes and how that can affect you as a person is something that can’t be understated.
Anyways, due to the nature of this topic, I don’t want to ramble too much into it especially as it can be triggering.
Though I will say that one of the reasons I admired his character was due to the fact that he still clung onto some hope to change his future and still managed to keep a rather healthy view of himself…I mean, he does of a lack of self worth (as seen through the affection system) but he always felt like he deserved more despite his conditions, despite being a poor miner. A lot of people would simply sit there and accept their lot in life (which is basically his fellow miners).
So, let’s give him some credit for that. I also want to say that if he had any ideations, I don’t believe they exist now at the manor at least. So there’s good news at least.
Right so, that’s it for this post. It got uncharacteristically heavy at the end there and I’m not sure how to end this in a more light-hearted way.
So I will just thank you all for reading and bide you good day or night!