I might have already said something about this but just bear with me for a moment. Uncle is an incredibly underrated character and people are honestly super mean about him. Yes, the jokes are funny and I understand that it's literally ~The Thing~ that he is lazy and useless and doesn't work/messes up when he does. But Uncle is great.
First of all, it's explained in a few camp encounters that Uncle had a really rough childhood, living and making it alone- his parents dead. Imagine a nine or so year old kid trying to make it on his own, hungry, scared... No wonder he wants to just chill out. Especially somewhere he feels safe- near Arthur's tent, under a tree and the warm sun, or so on.
And somehow he ended up with Dutch and them; his loyalty to Dutch is clear. But it isn't blind. When the time comes, and it does... He knows when to cut and run. He's intelligent, he's just not the type to brandish big words or massive plans. He's cunning, but not in a malicious way. I think Dutch likes that about him: he isn't useless to Dutch, or the gang. He has wisdom and he's the kind of guy that knows things, hears things, sees things... Keeps em to himself until needed.
He tries to get people to open up, he's very empathetic and emotional and he wants to have PEOPLE. Can you blame him? He even gets Charles to laugh a few times, and his jokes and his banjo playing and his drinking lighten up the camp even during the darkest days. He is truly a light.
He has his skills like anybody else, and maybe he isn't a strongarm or a mastermind or rolling the dough in for camp- but he's loyal to what matters, like Arthur says. This is proven when he gives his life in RDR1 to protect the Marstons, declaring that the enemy should get off of *their* land. It isn't because he is a leech or because he feels he owns something he doesn't, it's because the Marstons gave him a home and it IS *their* home and THEY are his home.
Before that, the Van Der Lindes were his home. "Camp" was his home. He loves Arthur and John and everybody, and despite what they say- they love him too. They take care of him like they take care of one another. Simple.
I only wish he had gotten to die in peace sleeping in his attic bedroom at Beecher's like any old man should.
