GTA 5GTA 6RDR2RDR1
Account
EN
EnglishENPortuguรชsPTEspaรฑolESTรผrkรงeTRPolskiPLะ ัƒััะบะธะนRUDeutschDEFranรงaisFRItalianoITุงู„ุนุฑุจูŠุฉAR
outlawdb

Red Dead Redemption 2

StoryMissionsStrangersCharactersGangs
The worldMapHorsesWeaponsAnimalsHuntingBusinessesCollectibles
ReferenceChallengesGuidesCheatsTrophies
All missions
Money Lending and Other Sins III, Leopold Strauss
Chapter 2 โ€“ Horseshoe Overlook

Money Lending and Other Sins III

Leopold Strauss

Arthur attempts to reclaim a debt from Thomas Downes but finds him to be destitute.

Mission giver
Leopold Strauss
Playable
Not stated
Location
Downes Ranch, The Heartlands
Target
Not stated
Unlocked by
Not stated
Unlocks
Not stated

Player notes

At Horseshoe Overlook, Leopold Strauss sends Arthur Morgan to Downes Ranch in The Heartlands to collect a loan Thomas Downes has failed to repay. Arthur rides out to the ranch and finds Downes working in his garden. When Arthur demands Strauss's money, Downes tries to strike him with a rake. Arthur stops the blow and presses him for payment, but Downes insists that he has nothing left.

Downes pleads that he has a family, while Arthur continues to intimidate him. Arthur beats him, and the sickly rancher coughs blood into Arthur's face during the confrontation. Arthur brushes it off and again demands the debt. Downes says he cannot pay, so Arthur tells him to sell the ranch. Downes replies that the property already carries more debt than it is worth.

Downes's wife comes outside and orders Arthur to leave, telling him that Thomas is unwell. Arthur backs away from the rancher and rides from Downes Ranch to Horseshoe Overlook. At camp, he confronts Strauss over the loan, angry that Strauss lent money to a family with no means of repaying it.

Trivia

  • โ—†This mission is a major turning point for Arthur, as Downes coughs in his mouth and gives him tuberculosis, which eventually leads to Arthur's death.
  • โ—†Unlike the other money lending missions, the player must complete this mission to proceed with the storyline.
  • โ—†In addition, it is impossible to prevent Downes from coughing blood on Arthur. He will do so even if Arthur does not beat him and any facial wear will be removed like most cutscenes, thus making it impossible to prevent Arthur from contracting tuberculosis.
  • โ—†When Arthur is reading a letter from Mary Linton, a cutscene may play where Strauss will tell Arthur to pay Thomas a visit, therefore triggering the mission, forcing the player to complete it as it cannot be abandoned.
  • โ—†There are two bits of foreshadowing quotes that Arthur will remember during his final ride to camp in the "Red Dead Redemption" mission depending on his Honor:
  • โ—†At the start of the mission, when Arthur approaches Downes to collect the debt from him, the latter futilely tries fighting him before begging him with "Please... I have a family, sir... please", a line Arthur later remembers if his Honor is low.
  • โ—†Toward the end of the mission, when Arthur demands money from Thomas after getting coughed on and, after being told the latter doesn't have it, tells him to "Sell the place", Thomas responds with his final words: "We already owe more than it's worth..."; a line Arthur remembers if his Honor is high.
  • โ—†Even if the player does not strike Downes at all, the following cutscene will still show him with a beaten and bruised face.
  • โ—†Holding out on this mission is the only time every currently active member of the gang can be free at camp at once without being locked behind starting a mission.
  • โ—†When approaching Strauss at the end of the mission, several vultures can be seen flying above where he's seated. This is an allegory for Strauss' character, a scavenger who takes what little remains of those less fortunate than himself.
  • โ—†If the mission is done right after "The First Shall Be Last" instead of the usual party at the camp, there is only Sean standing by the fire with a bottle in his hand and all the gang members act as if Sean had been rescued more than a day ago.
  • โ—†If the player visits Valentine after the mission, some people may talk about how Downes was beat up.
  • โ—†The General Store Owner will comment that Downes has got himself tangled up with loan sharks and that it has been a bad run for Downes.
  • โ—†The Barber will mention that someone beat Downes up "something rotten" and that Downes had "some" luck.
  • โ—†If the player visits the Wallace Station General Store, the owner will comment about Downes' death.
View on Red Dead Wiki โ†’

Mission data from Red Dead Wiki, CC BY-SA. Not affiliated with Rockstar Games.

Last verified September 14, 2026