Red Dead Redemption Explained: What Does The Ending Really Mean?

John and Abigail Marston weren't model citizens in the past. After all, John is the son of a prostitute and her pimp, who was placed in an orphanage immediately after he was born. He did not have a good start, which makes his illegal activities kind of justified. His wife was a prostitute whom he married, despite her having paid sex with all the members of his gang.

But still, they want to turn their life around and live off the land. Edgar Ross prevents them from doing that, forcing Marston to return to his old ways. Despite being a changed man, he still has to rob and kill in order to be allowed a simple, harmless existence.

This issue is already addressed during the opening sequence of the game, when Jenny says to the preacher that she has a problem with distinguishing between a loving act and a hateful act, as they often are the same thing.