House of the Dragon had a phenomenal first season. It smashed viewership records for HBO and dominated social media conversation completely from start to finish. Season 2 is still quite sometime away so fans are now doing a deep dive into various characters and their motivations. One of the most fascinating characters in the show is Aegon Targaryen. And everyone is asking- why is he so vile and debauched? We have the answer.

Viserys Targaryen’s Neglect Of Aegon Targaryen

In the show it’s made clear that Aegon Targaryen isn’t an ideal ruler. He sexually assaults a maid, is careless, and also seemingly unhinged mentally too. But why did he turn out this way when his brother Aemond Targaryen clearly didn’t? There are several reasons for this, but the main one is neglect from the King and his father, Viserys Targaryen.

Viserys Targaryen wanted a male heir so badly that he had his first wife, Aemma Targaryen, cut open to bring out the baby. He then married Alicent to strengthen the line and have more heirs. And the marriage did give him a son, Aegon Targaryen. By all accounts, this must be the happiest moment for Viserys.

And initially he seemed happy too. After all, he threw a tourney for his son when he turned 2, and showered him with affection in the beginning. But somewhere down the line he took that attention away and began neglecting him in favour of Rhaenyra. It was probably a combination of guilt over Aemma’s death and recognition of the fact that Otto Hightower had set up the marriage to join their houses. So he cut himself off from that side of his family.

As a result, he didn’t just show blatant favouritism towards Rhaenyra, but initially loved Aegon and then discarded him for her. That surely negatively affected Aegon’s self esteem and view of himself.

Rhaenyra Targaryen As The Heir

Aegon Targaryen is probably the only eldest son of a high ranking official in Westeros who got passed over as heir in favor of a woman. But he’s not just any eldest son. He’s THE eldest son of the ruling King. And since Westeros is a highly patriarchal society so this must have messed with his confidence and self-worth further.

So he was neglected by his father and passed over as heir for a woman, something that was never before done in Targaryen history. This could very well have made him feel inadequate and rejected. And that’s why he might have pivoted to attention seeking behaviour by doing the worst.

Alicent Hightower’s Expectations Of Him

Aegon’s father ignores him, but his mother, Alicent Hightower does the opposite. She expects highly of him since she wants him to be the next King. But she doesn’t prepare him for being a ruler. Alicent doesn’t encourage him to learn about history, combat, or how a ruler should behave.

But she highly berates him when he steps out of him and doesn’t meet the kingly expectations that she has set for him. Since he can’t please her in anyway so he turns towards alcohol and creates an overtly sexual personality. Both of his parents don’t care about him so he does what makes him feel good. And since no one cares about him so he doesn’t care who gets hurt in his pursuit of pleasure as well.

None of this excuses his actions. But it does put his behaviour in perspective. What do you think? Why did Aegon Targaryen become a vile man and an unfit ruler? Let us know.