Originally Posted By: Denis
It's like Shane has it set in his head that they should be out on the road, fighting for survival and that path will somehow lead to the ideal ending that he's envisioned (no Rick maybe?). He's willing to risk the group's safety to satisfy his vision of the future.
At the start of series 2, Shane wanted to leave the group because he realised his presence was causing pain to Lori. It was a noble thing to want. If Andrea or anyone else was fed up with the group and wanted to follow him, so much the better. He kept the group alive for several months before Rick turned up; he doesn't need Rick.

He stayed around to help search for the missing girl, and then because he was needed to help save Carl, and then Daryl got injured. So again, for noble reasons. Now he's just discovered Lori's having his baby so he's conflicted about that.

When he went with Otis to get medical supplies, and they got trapped, he offered to sacrifice himself for Otis. Otis refused. Otis choice is what determined the outcome. Either both Otis and Shane would die, and Carl afterwards, or Shane and Carl could survive. Disabling Otis was not an easy thing to do, but it was the correct moral choice. There was no outcome in which Otis could survive.

I like Shane. Some people seem to think he's near-sociopathic, but I think he's a good man doing the best he can in difficult circumstances. He's put himself in harms way for the sake of the group many times. Rick would have died in the hospital if Shane hadn't taken the time to secure the door before leaving.
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Quality is addictive.