It has been over a month since I first stepped into the world of Night City. I have replayed Cyberpunk 2077 and watched Cyberpunk: Edgerunners over the past few weeks and a handful of things stood out for me. One of them is the power dreams have over us.

Like pigs with a carrot on a stick, people chase their futile dreams as long as there is a sliver of hope to achieve them. People, much like David Martinez and V, are much more resilient than some would think.

Those Who Sought

David Martinez is a tragic genius hindered by the corporate elitism and harsh realities of Night City. He suffers an accident that led to the death of his mom, and subsequently caused him to drop out of a prestigious school.

It did not take long before he fell into the shady world of Night City. In it, he met Lucy and her merry band of mercenaries. The group’s leader, Maine, slowly introduced David to the inner workings of being an Edgerunner. As his mentor, David learned what it means to survive in Night City.

V is the protagonist of Cyberpunk 2077 whose past can vary depending on the players’ Life Path choice. Regardless, V’s only goal before meeting Jackie Wells was to survive the corporate-driven world of Cyberpunk. In a series of events, V and Jackie became partners who lived together until the fateful event that led to Jackie’s demise.

For Dreams Unforgotten

While both characters did not have the exact same experiences, their fate was marked by the same thing: someone else’s dream.

After Maine’s death, David sought to fill in what his mentor left. He started to lead the mercenary group, took care of new Edgerunners, and even wore Maine’s old cybernetic arm. At some point, Lucy even remarks on this and says:

“Still living for someone else’s dream.”

V, however, was in a different situation. While he did not necessarily live for Jackie’s dream, he assisted with Jackie’s journey in their brief time together.

Jackie’s dream was to achieve a luxurious life and maybe even become a legend in Night City. In one optional scene in Cyberpunk 2077, Jackie’s engram even reinforces this – if you can even consider him as Jackie. This, along with brief mentions of the “major leagues” before the heist, establishes Jackie’s big dreams.

Unfortunately, David’s attempt to fill the hole Maine left and V’s brief partnership with Jackie was the start of both protagonists’ downfall.

And that which drove them

David’s love for Lucy, his Mom’s dream for him, inheritance of Maine’s cybernetic arm, and his brash efforts to keep his group’s success took a toll on David through cyberpsychosis and Adam Smasher. V’s desire to assist Jackie’s grand fantasy led him to impending death in the form of Adam Smasher and Johnny Silverhand.

Ironically, they met the same fate but took care of things differently. David kept on clinging to the dreams of others and found happiness while V was a bit more complicated.

V is left to decide what to do with his remaining time in the real world — to find out what his dream truly is. V’s dream will depend on your actions: to seek survival, accept death and live happily dying, or give Johnny a chance to fulfill his.

While some of David and V’s dreams are not truly theirs, these kept them chasing life, closure, and happiness. For what drives people more than hopes and dreams? And sometimes, just having one is enough.

Maybe living for someone else’s dream — someone’s happiness — is not bad at all.