Norman "Norm" MacLean is a resident of Vault 33 in the Fallout TV series. He is the inquisitive younger brother of Lucy MacLean and the son of Overseer Hank MacLean.
He may also be considered another protagonist or deuteragonist of the TV series since after Lucy leaves the Vault, the aftermath is shown through Norm's perspective as he investigates the truth of Vault 31 and Vault 32.
Background[]
Norm was born to Rose and Hank MacLean of Vault 33 and has one older sister, Lucy. Rose suspected the surface world was hospitable and fled Vault 33, angering her husband because he viewed this as dangerous. Rose took Norm and his older sister to live in Shady Sands, although the two children seemed too young to have memories of being on the surface. At some point, Hank finds Rose on the surface, but she refuses to return with him. Hank took his children back from Rose, moving them back to Vault 33, where they believed Rose had died of natural causes during their early childhood.
Growing up in Vault 33, Norm became best friends with his cousin Chet. However, he is a black sheep in the Vault's community due to his introversion and irreverent personality. As he came to working age, Norm went from job to job in the Vault, receiving a performance grade of "lacks enthusiasm" at each one. Despite his general apathy, he does care about the community to some degree, especially the people who are close to him.
Personality[]
Norm is a clever young man who begins the series as a somewhat timid and apathetic individual but gradually becomes more confident as the series progresses. He seems to enjoy teasing others, such as when he tells Lucy her future husband might be a cannibal. Betty also figures out that Norm likes to upset people. Nevertheless, he maintains a sense of innocence that is common among Vault dwellers who have never been to the surface.
Norm is also a perceptive individual. He appears to be one of the first to figure out that something is wrong with the "dwellers" from Vault 32, later revealed to be raiders.
Over time, Norm is shown to exhibit a great amount of bravery, having the courage to let his sister out of the Vault and exploring the decrepit Vaults 31 and 32. This stems from his regret over hiding in a duct while raiders attacked Vault 33, which spurs him to become more active. He is also shown to be somewhat vindictive, particularly towards the raiders, wishing them dead. The raiders are mysteriously killed because someone slipped rat poison into their food, although it is unclear if Norm is the culprit.
He does not seem to enjoy his family's book club; instead, he prefers to play Pip-Boy games.