George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire is structured so that each chapter is from a different character's point of view. You wouldn't think it from watching Game of Thrones but in Martin's books Robb Stark never has his own chapters. His exploits as King in the North are relayed back through other characters, such as his mother Catelyn Stark. It was a brave decision by the writers to allot so much screen time to Robb but of course, it paid off. Before the events of the Red Wedding we were all rooting for Rob's success. He had noble ambitions and behaved in a manner befitting of a king. The one exception to this was in his marrying of Talisa, a move which would tragically seal both their fates. In showing Robb in a more human light forsaking his word for the woman he loves, and enduring consequence after consequence for doing so the writers were able to raise the emotional impact of his tragic death in season 3's The Rains of Castemere because we backed him as our relatable, if flawed, hero. The build up to this also ensured that we cared for his family Talisa and their baby. It also turned out to be a great opportunity to display Martin's cold-hearted attitude toward his characters once they'd been given the well-rounded television treatment, they were brutally and graphically bumped off in a manner which still leaves some fans with sleepless nights, all because we'd been allowed to bond with the eldest Stark son.