A significant portion of The Last of Us sees Joel and Ellie partner up with brothers Sam and Henry to get out of the city. While distant at first, the four begin to trust each other, especially Ellie, who is visibly pleased to have a friend her age to talk to. All this built up comradery comes to a tragic end when Sam is revealed to have been infected, to which Henry takes his own life in grief. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GjhDMwudKY The one-two punch of Sams infection and Henrys suicide served as a sudden and brutal reminder that no one is safe in The Last of Us. While not exactly unexpected given the genre, the build up and execution is too good not to be emotionally affected, and is a tonally perfect transition into the "Fall" section of the game, where things get progressively darker.
