So a while back on the soon to be closing Story Warren Discord (not affiliated with the Story Warren company) there was an exchange on the ages of the Longtreader brothers. Sam has gone on record that the birth order is Garten, then Whittle, and finally Wilfred. This was my response when someone commented that Wilfred seemed older than Whittle:

Well, to be fair, Wilfred:

*Was forced to witness Jupiter’s betrayal and murder.

*Found himself thrust into the role of single father/guardian to Jupiter’s heir, possibly after losing his own wife and any children to the afterterrors.

*Spent over a decade keeping Smalls safe, a task that included moving around between secret citadels.

*Constantly faced the brunt of the suspicion heaped on his family based solely on his brother’s actions, all while giving his all for the Cause with next to no appreciation or even camaraderie.

*Was constantly faced with his own “failure” to realize what Garten had planned and to prevent or at least hinder it.

Whittle, by contrast, lived a somewhat idyllic life in the solitude of Nick Hollow with his wife and their children. He shared some of Wilfred’s burden, but I feel like he could at least be distracted from it at times. If Wilfred seems older, it’s probably because of the life he’s lived, not the years themselves.