Robert Byng

"Strictly Enforced!"
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General Sir Robert Byng a distinguished military officer, commands considerable influence and notoriety within the confines of Wellington Wells. His prominence places him among the most formidable figures in the city, second only to the esteemed Executive Committee.

In We Happy Few, he only appears in Act II and III, and has a somewhat major role in the We All Fall Down DLC.

Appearance[]

Robert Byng is an old man with white parted hair, moustache, and blue eyes. He wears a dark brown suit with matching shoes, a white button shirt underneath, and a long black jacket with blue rims around the edges.

He also adorns a blue scarf with some yellow stripes throughout, as well as a blue tie with small yellow spots.

The last time he's seen in Act II, Sally uses a glass shard to slash Robert across his left eye.

Robert is never seen wearing a Happy Face Mask, unlike most citizens in Wellington Wells.

Personality[]

Robert Byng is shown to act noble and kind, although he has an uglier side that isn't immediately shown unless he's confronted. He's capable of being cruel and manipulative towards people, especially those who are closest to him. These sides are best shown when he's interacting with Sally or Ollie.

He has a strong sense of duty, even if it isn't pretty sometimes, he believes there are some things that must be done for the greater good, no matter how terrible the action may be. His duties seem to be prioritised to himself and Victoria, not really giving a second thought to what'd happen to those around him.

When Sally encounters Robert, he's usually friendly towards her, if a bit sinister. As their conversations go on, Robert gets increasingly more confrontational, nearly hitting her at one point.

When it comes to Ollie, Robert seems to be used by his nonsensical ramblings, not really taking him seriously until Victoria gets involved.

He cares a lot about his daughter, Victoria Byng, often making jokes with her until their conversation gets more serious. Later in the DLC, when Victoria finds out he cares more about his safety than the safety of their citizens, she leaves him and decides to set things right by herself. What happens to Robert after his encounter is unknown, though it's possible he went to his safe house and found Sally unconscious, since he gets a scar across his left eye during the quest, Unsafe House.

Related Notes[]

History[]

Born sometime in the 1890's, as a young boy he had a keen understanding of what's right and wrong, not too dissimilar from his sense of duty in his later years. In grammar school, he reported that some students were smoking in the lavatory, and got them expelled after they'd threatened to hurt him for telling the principal.

Years later, sometime in the 1920's, Robert Byng served in India as a junior officer, becoming a major soon afterwards. While there, he met Maharajkumari Indira Devi, one of the princesses in India, and together they got Victoria Byng.

Eventually, when Robert had to return to Great Britain, he got Maharajkumari arrested for her involvement with the Indian Independence Movement. Against Maharajkumari's wish for Victoria to stay in the palace with her father, the king, Robert brought Victoria with him to Wellington Wells, where he raised her himself. Supposedly, he also did this so that he could become a general in the army.

When Germany occupied Great Britain in 1943, Robert collaborated with the German officials so as to make sure no rebellions would occur. Together with Ollie Starkey, they delivered newspaper and glue for the Germans to create papier-mache tanks to make the British citizens believe they couldn't rise up. In the end, Robert agreed to send all of the children under the age of 13 to Germany as planned by Colonel von Stauffenberg, even though he didn't know the reason why this had to be done.

On June 12, 1950, because of the increase of guilt, denial, and aggression in the British citizens, coupled with two "Breeder Riots", Robert sought out a solution to this problem. He contacted Harry Haworth and requested a sort of fatigue pill that'd restore the team spirit in their citizens. Three years later in 1953, Joy was created.

When Sally Boyle left Anton Verloc, Robert helped protecting her from getting taken in by the constabulary, as he has some control over the bobbies.

Events of We Happy Few[]

Act I[]

Although he's never seen in Act I, Arthur Hastings heads into the General's office to turn off the camp's power so that Ollie can steal from them.

Later, when Arthur meets Sally, she reveals that she is close with Byng, and that she can get a Letter of Transit for him from Robert.

Act II[]

Robert has been protecting Sally Boyle ever since she met Anton. When Sally meets Arthur, she offers to get him a Letter of Transit from the General, as they're close.

Sometime later, Robert enters her house while Sally is out, though she returns just in time to discover that he has made himself at home. Sally tries to distract Robert with music and drugs to keep him from hearing her daughter Gwen crying upstairs. However, she passes out and finds that he left while she was unconscious, praying that he didn't discover Gwen.

Later, Sally goes to the Victory Memorial Camp to get the letter for Arthur, which Robert gives without any hesitation. While she's there, he reveals that he wrote himself a note regarding what he had heard the last time he visited her. Sally tries to deny the existence of Gwen, but eventually admits that it is her daughter.

Robert figures that it's Anton's, and understands why she wouldn't tell him, though Robert is slightly peeved that she didn't inform him. Sally asks if he can help getting them out of Wellington Wells, to which he supposes he can get Gwen out, but not Sally.

He then tries to kiss Sally, though she angrily rejects him. Robert raises his arm and almost hits her, but restrains himself, then comments on how she doesn't know what it's like being lonely, as she always has somebody by her side.

Sally decides to steal Robert's boat so that she can escape the city with Gwen. She heads out to Robert's secret safe house where she knows the boat's key is. However, while she does this, she's tranquilized by a dart.

When she comes to, she discovers that Robert has locked her down in the safe house, leaving them both with food for a year.

He attempts to get Sally to give up her daughter, as she obviously doesn't want her to starve to death. Sally, defeated, gives in to Robert's words for a short moment before she's fuelled with anger and swiftly thrashes him with a bottle of scotch and runs away. She uses chemicals and a glass shard against Robert to knock him out and escape for good.

Act III[]

Robert is confronted by Ollie Starkey at the Victory Memorial Camp, who wants to know his own involvement with the Germans. Robert confesses that he knew the tanks were fake, and that Ollie helped him with all of it in order to avoid the deaths of many. He recalls that he and Ollie had the exact same conversation a year prior.

Ollie says that the citizens of Wellington Wells need to know the truth about the food shortage and asks Robert for help. Robert, however, insists that the Executive Committee wouldn't listen, and would instead "tear me apart like starved jackals. And then they'd pop a Joy." After Ollie threatens to get Victoria Byng involved, Robert angrily yells at him and sounds the alarm.

We All Fall Down[]

Victoria Byng travels to see her father at the Victory Memorial Camp via the tunnels. Opening the secret bookcase passage, Robert is armed with a Lee-Enfield Rifle, thinking it's an intruder at first. Upon seeing Victoria he happily welcomes her, asking what brings her to see him. After telling him about the food shortage and plague, Robert is displeased and understands she's gone off her Joy.

He dismisses doing anything about the problem, stating that if they do something, the people will remember and kill each other for the last scraps of food remaining. He tells Victoria to distract the public with a Simon Says competition and to go back on her Joy. She goes against this and decides to go to talk to Dr. Verloc about his "permanent solution."

He later reappears after Victoria breaks out of prison, revealing he's the one who left the cell door open. He then reveals to her about his safe house, the one that he had saved enough food for a year. Victoria is shocked to learn that he'd done such, realising that his only 'duty' was to save himself.

Robert rebuts, claiming their duty now is to salvage whatever's left. He then plans to have the two of them to hide until the people have forgotten, then take his Bristol Pilot boat from Wellington Wells to Ireland.

But Victoria refuses, and pushes him away whilst calling him a coward. He's never seen again after this.

Act II Quotes[]

Oh, the memories always come back.
It couldn't be a cat. Hasn't been a cat since the War.
Shame I won't remember any of this.
Any friend of yours, my dear.
You're as clever a liar as I am. You can lie with the truth.
Do you remember the children born after the War? We got some of them out, but ... They made everyone so unhappy.
I might be able to get her out. If I'm very clever. But no, I can't spare you.
What do you think would happen if our beloved bobbies ran out of blackberry Joy?
Why not? It's traditional! A single girl, in trouble, unequipped to take care of her baby... I'd have thought you'd be grateful.
You'll end up in one of Dr. Verloc's glass cells. And even I won't be able to save you.
You don't know what it's like to be alone, do you? A girl like you never is.
You'll stay here, after I get Gwen across the bridge. It's the only place I can keep you safe.
Sally. Do you love her? Or do you just love having someone who needs you?
Sally! Oh, Sally! You won't be leaving this facility without me, I have the only key card!
You're trying to come up with some clever chemistry, aren't you?
I like you, Sally! Why do you have to be so damn difficult! Who else is going to give you what I can?
What do you think you're doing with my fountain?
You... bloody... witch!
I've done terrible things, Sally. I had to do them, but the mob despise me for it. I think I deserve a little consolation in my old age.

Act III Quotes[]

Really? Would the good townsfolk of Wellington Wells have followed me into the machine guns? Or would they all have hidden in their basements?
The safest secret in the world is a secret no one wants to hear.
The truth has too terrible a cost. Isn't that the decision we all made?
They'd tear me apart like starved jackals. And then they'd pop a Joy.

We All Fall Down Quotes[]

Nothing is exactly what we must do. If our people realise they're running out of food, they'll kill each other for the last box of V-meat!
Doing your duty isn't always pretty. You don't always get a bright, shiny medal.
But a few people on top, doing their duty --us-- is the only thing that keeps us from savagery.
But for God's sake, go back on your Joy! You'll only complicate things.
Our duty now... is to rescue what we can. Salvage something from this whole rotten mess. Even if it's only two or three people.
You obviously can't show your face until people forget!

We Happy Few[]

In Game[]

Concept Art[]

Other[]

General[]

When Robert was young, his hair was black.
He gifted a fountain called "Wings of Victory" to the Wellington Wells Health Institute.
Victoria drew a picture of her and her father, saying he's her hero. It can be found in his safe house.
In the note A Bridge Too Far, it's revealed General Byng had been buying property from quarantined areas in order to profit from it.
A statue of himself can be found in the Garden District regarding the discovery of the Joy formula, the park is named after himself.
His old army nickname while in India was Private Pinky, this is shown in the letter his wife wrote him accusingly referring him being promoted to Colonel Pinky for betraying her.
There is a soldier living in the Victory Memorial Camp who tells the other soldiers a story of how Byng handled a situation in India, where an elephant goes on a rampage and kills a man before returning to its calm state. The purpose of the story is to highlight how courageous he is compared to others.
- The story is also a reference to "Shooting an Elephant", a short essay written by George Orwell, in which an English police official in India (the Narrator) is called upon to shoot a rampaging elephant. By the time he arrives with his rifle, the Elephant has calmed down and is harmless. However, with the eyes of the natives on him, the Narrator feels compelled to kill the elephant regardless; it dies slowly before being stripped for meat. The Narrator reasons that had he chosen not to kill the elephant it would've shown that the British were weak-willed, thus destabilising confidence in British rule and causing social unrest.
- Orwell wrote this as a critique of oppressive regimes, noting that the oppressor is actually no freer than the oppressed. As such, the reference to the story in We Happy Few is a meta-critique of the nature of Wellington Wells.

Other[]

General Byng's name is a possible reference to real-life General Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy. Infamous for the King-Byng affair in the election for British Government. Both also use boats in their plans of the military.
His original concept art by Whitney Clayton bears similarities to British actor Sean Connery. This is notable in his portrayal of Major General Roy Urquhart in the 70s war movie A Bridge Too Far. Byng is also a dead ringer for former British prime minister Neville Chamberlain, the champion of appeasement.
- The Chamberlain-likeness was confirmed to be intentional in the Official Artbook.

Robert Byng

Appearance[]

Personality[]

Related Notes[]

History[]

Events of We Happy Few[]

Act I[]

Act II[]

Act III[]

We All Fall Down[]

Act II Quotes[]

Act III Quotes[]

We All Fall Down Quotes[]

We Happy Few[]

In Game[]

Concept Art[]

Other[]

General[]

Other[]

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