Sandor Clegane is a more complex character than his brother, he is definitely no white knight in shining armour (although after he joins the Kingsguard, technically he becomes a whitecloak), his blind duty to Joffrey the psychopath, ensures that we are going ‘aww how sweet’ every time he shows up on the screen. One of the first actions of the Hound, in season 1, is chasing and killing Arya’s friend, Mycah, “He ran, but not very fast”, he tells Eddard who sees him with the butcher’s boy’s body.

However, the Hound does not arouse the same hatred as his older brother, or King Joffrey. Some of this is down to the fact that his bitterness and hatefulness is understandable given his history. There is a brutal honesty to his world views, much of the time the hateful things he says are true, it is just that most people are not comfortable with that kind of clear vision, and prefer their truths sweetened with some delusions.

Of course the fascinating angle about Sandor Clegane’s character development is the relationship he develops with Sansa Stark. They are as opposite in character and outlook as it is possible to be. Sansa is full of naïve dreams of noble knights and handsome princes, when life dashes all her dreams and turns them into nightmares, she does not fight back or do anything clever, but suffers in silence, her survival strategy is to robotically repeat that Joffrey is the love of her love. Lets face the girl is a major sissy! You would expect the Hound to be full of contempt.



