Gilbert Schmidt

Gilbert Schmidt, previously known as Erich Gabler, is the main character of Four Dead Men. He is the second-in-command of The Abandoned.

## Gilbert Schmidt

### Aliases

Erich Gabler (dead name)Gil (Lisa)

Brat (Arthur)

Homewrecker (Frederick)

### Relatives

Luddy Schmidt (son)Alex Gabler (father)

Jessika Gabler (mother)

## History

Gilbert is the only child of Alex Gabler, an alcoholic cashier at a popular restaurant in Germany. His and Gilbert's relationship slowly became rocky when his mother, Jessika, had an affair with her co-worker. She later divorced Alex and moved to France to become a travel agent.

Alex began domestically and sexually abusing Gilbert when he was ten years old. Gilbert told multiple adults at his school, but when something was done, it made the situation worse.

Gilbert was given the option to move to the United States after his father was forced to relocate for his job. He entered high school in Orlando, Florida, where he met Lisa Serra, who was in his history class. They became close friends and started dating near the end of their sophomore year.

During their junior year of high school, their previous history teacher, Mr. Teodoro (who would later become the leader and ammo supplier of The Abandoned), showed concern for their home life. Gilbert was living in an apartment without his father, and Lisa had reported to him previously about her mother being abused by her step-father. He told the group about The Abandoned, an awareness group teamed with the police around Florida to stop child abuse and domestic violence. They joined the group as a way to be protected.

Before Gilbert could graduate from high school, The Abandoned was raided by the FBI in an investigation gone wrong. The Abandoned began shooting at multiple people, leading to The Abandoned stopping their alliance with the police. In the mix of events, Gilbert's father was deported back to Germany for smuggling meth. Gilbert would rather have to go to jail for being involved with The Abandoned, or go home to Germany. This led to Lisa forcing him to go, so she could take the fall for him.

Gilbert returned to Frankfurt with his father. After a year of living with him, his father attempted to hit him across the face after Gilbert returned home from target practice. Gilbert shot his father in the heat of the moment, instantly killing him.

Instead of calling for help, Gilbert fled the home and told his friend, who was a pilot, to take him to Florida. He told Lisa over the phone to refer to him as Gilbert Schmidt from now on, as his name was no longer Erich Gabler. Lisa agreed.

### Four Dead Men

Gilbert became close with multiple people in Orlando: Lisa, his high school sweetheart; David, a teenage boy who he rescued; Luddy, his adopted son; Arthur, his worst enemy; and Ellie and Meadow, a married couple. The group came together to continue to help The Abandoned and figure out what was happening with the police.

During the events of Four Dead Men, Lisa did not know what David had done to get himself investigated by the police. She assumed that Gilbert had rescued them to help The Abandoned get back together. After David revealed to be working with Frederick to help catch Gilbert, he was forced to kill him and dump his body into a river.

Lisa, heartbroken over the loss of her son, demanded to know why Gilbert had found him and Luddy. He told her about what had happened, and she said that he had put them in danger, and they had to get out.

Gilbert was forced to flee to France with Arthur, who told him he could get him out with a fee. The two were forced to flee the plane after Frederick shot the pilot dead and attempted to kill them first. Arthur rescued Gilbert after he fell out of the plane.

Together in France, Gilbert reunited with his mother, who told him she was scared of Gilbert's father. Gilbert told her he had killed him, and told him, "It's just like the story foretold", meaning that Gilbert's father murdered his father, too.

At the end of the story, Gilbert is left with multiple options: A) turn himself in; B) kill Luddy and Lisa; C) run away with Arthur; or D) kill Arthur and escape somewhere in Orlando and continue to work undercover. Gilbert decided to find out why Arthur had grown so close to him, and Arthur revealed that he was in love with him, telling him with bloodlust in his eyes that he wanted them to die together, so the universe would end, and he could stop writing. His programming malfunctions from his creator, Chao (which we learn in Unexpected Hearts) trying to take control of him again. He tries murdering Gilbert, which forces him to shoot him. Arthur falls to the ground, "dead". Gilbert limps away to find Lisa and bid her goodbye.

Taking Luddy with him, he finds his pilot friend and tells him to fly to Germany and find his grandparents. He tells him their names and he sets off. Gilbert stays behind and begins working with Teodoro, until he moves to Italy with his triplets; Felix, Roberto and Ivano.

### Vargas

Alfred and Roberto report in an alleyway to talk to someone inside. In there, they find Gilbert, who tells him he wants to be friends with him. After some questioning, he realizes that his son, Luddy, is in a romantic relaitonship with Roberto's brother, Felix. He begs to see him again, and Roberto promises to help him see him again.

## Personality

Gilbert is a sarcastic and laid-back character who takes nothing seriously. He has multiple flings in many places, and believes that everyone and everything has beauty in some sort of way. A few times in the story, he talks about how he struggles with his sexual identity, saying, "I don't know if I would call myself gay or not, because I love women, too. I think I'm pansexual."

His cooperation with Lisa, David and Luddy leads him to believe that one day he can have a family of his own. He lives in a fantasy where Lisa will eventually leave Frederick, due to the fact he believes he is abusing her. Lisa repeats herself multiple times that she does not need to be saved, and that they cannot date anymore, or have sex, because she is destined to marry Frederick.

Before Gilbert goes to France, Lisa reveals that she is being forced to stay with Frederick, but not for just one reason. In Vargas, it's hinted at that Lisa refused to marry him, so when she gave birth to Ashton and Eli, she is killed in an inhumane manner; Jeanne, Lisa's robotic clone, sets her insides on fire, and she becomes charcoal from the inside out. Jeanne becomes the mother of Aston and Eli.

In Cheese and Crackers, we also learn that Frederick was, in fact, domestically abusing her. Despite being involved with The Abandoned, she is trapped in a harmful relationship. Additionally, she is forced to stay with him because of what happened when she was eighteen. After being sentenced to prison for her involvement with The Abandoned, Frederick tells the court that he can "fix" her by keeping her as a housewife and a mother to his children, where she wouldn't have to worry about being abandoned again.

## Relationships

### Lisa

Gilbert and Lisa were high school sweethearts from 1988 to 1991. It has been repeated throughout the book that they were deeply in love with each other, but due to circumstance, they broke up.

In the beginning of the novel, we are told that Gilbert left Lisa to travel Europe and be back home with his father. However, it is revealed that during an attack on The Abandoned from the police, multiple people were being arrested for rescuing abused children. Gilbert would have gone to jail, but since Lisa knew most of the officers, she could have taken the fall. She told him to escape.

While he was gone in Germany, she sent him a letter he never read. In the last chapter of the story, Gilbert reads the letter, and it is revealed that Lisa had always wanted to cheat on Frederick with him, and even planned on flying out to Germany with her belongings. It is evident that they are both deeply in love with each other, despite Lisa’s engagement and Gilbert’s fling with Arthur.

In Vargas, Gilbert meets Jeanne, who he believes is Lisa. He holds her for a moment before she asks who he is. He breaks down in tears, believing he is no longer recognizable (because his hair is longer, and he has a beard). She confesses that Lisa is dead, and she is not who he believes she is. He stumbles off, heartbroken.

It is commented on multiple times throughout the series that Frederick had always been jealous of Gilbert and Lisa's relationship. Frederick was never in love with Lisa, but he wanted what they had. He added, "I can't take back the court day, but if I could let her be happy, I would, despite the contract held over both of our heads."

### Arthur

Arthur picks up Gilbert from the airport, despite not knowing him. The two hit it off. With Arthur’s internship taking over most of his life, he uses it to write papers on Gilbert and use him as insight on The Abandoned. Because Arthur knows everything about Gilbert, he has blackmail over him; he can use to keep him as a “rat” for him against The Abandoned. Even though Arthur says he doesn’t care about Gilbert, there have been many instances where he has put his life out on the line to keep him safe.

In one of the later chapters, when Gilbert takes a flight to France, Arthur rescues him as he falls from the plane, and they land in France. In the end, Arthur cannot kill Gilbert, even though it is ordered for him to do so by Francis.

In Cheese and Crackers, Arthur makes a comment about Gilbert to Ashton, saying, "If it wasn't you, then it definitely would have been the other blond boy I met back in my younger days."

### Leon

Leon, also known as Luddy when he was a child, is Gilbert's son. They grew close as he learned how to walk and talk, and when he had to go to Germany, Gilbert almost made Luddy stay with him.

## Trivia

* Gilbert's name is influenced by the name Gilbert Beilschmidt, the human name of Prussia from Hetalia.
* Gilbert's appearance had the most changes in Four Dead Men.
* Gilbert is an ESFP.
* Gilbert is one of the few characters who doesn't make an appearance in every novel. He does not appear in Six Feet Under, Not Entirely True, Cheese and Crackers, and Unexpected Hearts.
* After the end of the novel, it is believed that Gilbert is also dead, as without Arthur, nobody else can live.
* If circumstances had been different, Gilbert and Lisa still would have never been a married couple; Gilbert has commitment issues, and Lisa would be stuck with Frederick again.