The Rattlers as an institution. The WLF. The Seraphites. Jackson itself, at its edges. Every organization in The Last of Us Part II is a study in how loyalty — a genuine virtue, a genuine human need — becomes the mechanism by which good people are moved to terrible actions. You do not need monsters. You need people who love each other enough to do what the group requires.

Ellie's loyalty to Joel is what brought her to Seattle. Abby's loyalty to her father is what brought her to Wyoming. The loyalty is real in both cases. The game does not question the love that generated it. It questions what loyalty demands when it is allowed to operate without the counterweight of other things.