Chapter 29: Merle Dixon
He knew he wasn't a saint. Then again, he never claimed he was. He knew he was a sinner, a piece of shit, a no good son of a bitch.
He was every bad thing there was. He knew as much. He wasn't as good as his baby brother. He'd already seen the ways of the world and had become a bigot.
He knew deep down inside he was wrong about racism. He just chose not to acknowledge it. All that mattered was his life. That prevailed even when the apocalypse happened.
The only thing that mattered was preserving his own way of life.
That was why he joined Woodbury. He served that man well.
But the second Philip targeted his brother, he was reminded again of what older brothers are supposed to do.
Protect the younger.
"I ain't gonna beg. I ain't gonna beg you." He said, maintaining his pride to the man who both started his new life and ended it with a fist to the face and a bang.
Later on he was found by a sobbing Daryl and put down. His sacrifice helped Rick and the gang move on, but Daryl always remembered how his brother at least went down fighting and didn't lose his badassery at the last minute.
He kept his dignity and pride.