In every storm in Emmerdale, Marlon Dingle has always been one of the softest-hearted.

He is the type of person who worries, panics, cries easily, and is also very devoted to his family.

That is why Marlon being forced into a situation where he has to consider “abandoning” Dylan Penders to save April, Rhona, Leo, Ivy… makes this storyline more moral than any previous fight or shooting.

After witnessing Dylan being hit by Ray’s car and injected with drugs, Marlon understands better than anyone the level of Celia’s cruelty.

She does not just threaten, but is ready to act immediately. Therefore, when Celia begins to tighten the noose around his family’s neck, Marlon is forced to face a horrifying truth: if he tries to save Dylan at all costs, his whole family may die; if he closes his eyes and abandons him, he can get his loved ones out, but will live with the guilt of “changing lives” for his life.

The spoiler suggests that Marlon will not just stand there crying, but actually come up with a “plan” – in which Dylan will be turned into a bargaining chip. It sounds cruel, but in the mind of a father pushed to the limit, many viewers find it… understandable. When the whole world around him is full of dirty people using threats and violence, the question of “one life to save many lives” is no longer a distant philosophy, but a matter of survival right before their eyes.