Ryan Atwood

Atwood is an outcast and troubled teenager from Chino, California, who is given a second chance when the wealthy Cohen family takes him in. Ryan was physically abused by his biological father Frank and some of his mother Dawn’s boyfriends. He has a complicated, love-hate relationship with his older brother Trey Both parents struggled with alcohol – Frank became physically abusive, while Dawn neglected and verbally abused him – and it left a deep impression on him, as shown by his aversion to strong alcoholic drinks. This is contrasted by the character's adopted family—the Cohens—who stood by Ryan despite his juvenile record, vocal criticisms and disdain from the other "Newpsies" about his adoption and his multiple attempts to run away from them. Although he does not address Mr. and Mrs. Cohen (Sandy and Kirsten respectively) as Dad or Mom, he makes it clear that he considers them to be his parents. Ryan generally dislikes speaking about his biological family and hints during Christmas and Thanksgiving that the holidays bring up painful memories for him. Ryan was born to and then raised in a working class family, as such he knew the lifestyle and attitudes of people from his neighborhood of Chino, California, as well as the dangers that occurred in cases where outsiders are influenced by its environment. His abusive past enabled him to develop an extremely high pain threshold, and he displays an impassive expression after being physically abused. He is tough, cynical and quick-tempered, yet compassionate and empathetic toward people in trouble and those less fortunate than himself. Ryan is closest to his adoptive brother Seth. Ryan's personality is the opposite of the socially awkward, sheltered and sometimes naïve adopted brother Seth, and Ryan frequently uses his street-savvy skills to get Seth out of trouble.