The Harry Potter series may be based around the titular character, but his friends are just as important. Ronald Weasley is Harry’s best friend and part of the Golden Trio alongside Hermione Granger. Unlike the other two, though, Ron doesn’t have a striking attribute that makes him stand out, because of which he carried a number of insecurities.
While Ron tended to react the wrong way due to his fears, they were justified when viewed within the right context. It’s important to understand why Ron was weighed down by his issues, as they all have valid reasons behind them. His biggest fear, spiders, was even a central plot point of The Chamber of Secrets, where Ron and Harry were instructed to "follow the spiders" into the Forbidden Forest. Some of these were more crucial than others, so it’s worth taking a look at each fear/insecurity that Ron carried.
Ron Felt He Didn't Belong In The Quidditch Team
Ron wanted to play Quidditch because he loved the sport, not for the glory. However, he felt inferior due to the high standards set by Charlie and the twins, who were essentially superstars. Ron was a great keeper himself if he played for fun, only underperforming when he felt pressured.
It didn’t help when the likes of Ginny made him feel unwanted when he was under pressure, meaning Ron just needed the backing of his teammates to deliver his best. His confidence level ultimately determined how he performed on the field, with a nervous Ron letting many goals go while a self-assured Ron couldn’t be beaten.
Ron Was Convinced He Was A Terrible Wizard
Ron let Harry know the very moment they met that he was terrified of failing at school. He even claimed he was convinced that he would be terrible and was more focused on surviving than excelling. The truth is that he was never a bad wizard but was just bogged down by fear.
One of the reasons was the fact that his wand didn’t really belong to him, so Ron’s first two years are actually impressive considering he was on Harry’s level with a subpar wand. He was also much better in studies than most of the class, seeing as he excelled in Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts where others didn’t.
Ron Was Insecure That Nobody Took His Opinion Seriously
Ron was the person who suggested using flames to defeat the Devil’s Snare, he was also the person who came up with the Felix Felicis idea, and figured out that Lockhart was a fraud, among other things. And yet, Ron’s smart moments weren’t highlighted because he played them down.
He even came up with the Dumbledore’s Army plan along with Hermione, yet didn’t acknowledge it until others agreed. Ron’s problem was that people wouldn’t take his opinions seriously, which was why he blew up at Harry and Hermione in Deathly Hallows when he called himself the tag-along friend.
Ron's Lack Of Confidence In A Leadership Role
There are several “What-If” theories about Ron’s role in Harry Potter, namely how the story would’ve been if he was the leader of the trio. Ron stopped himself from living up to his potential in this aspect because he was scared of being mocked. He was initially excited to become a prefect, but was embarrassed when Fred and George made fun of him to undermine his authority.
For a brief period in Deathly Hallows, however, Harry noted that Ron actually had become the leader, where he mapped out the Horcrux hunt while Harry mulled over the Deathly Hallows. It was here that Ron showed his worth when he didn’t place pressure upon himself to do a good job in survival conditions.
Ron's Belief That He Didn't Deserve Hermione
There were many ways the Harry Potter movies sold Ron short, as movie fans don’t realize why he was so insecure in Deathly Hallows - Part 1. In the books, Ron had many lines where he hinted at his feelings for Hermione but would then trail off by muttering she wouldn’t be impressed.
Ron started to think that a gifted witch such as Hermione, who had garnered the interest of superstar Viktor Krum, wouldn’t see anything worth wanting in him. He didn’t realize that Hermione’s invitation to Ron to attend Slughorn’s party was her way of making a move, with Ron wrongly thinking she was just showing pity.
Ron's Fear That His Mother Didn't Love Him Because She Wanted A Daughter
Ron wasn’t jealous of Ginny, but he was insecure about what she represented: the daughter Molly had wanted when he was born. While Molly definitely did love him, she sometimes overlooked Ron due to either her overachieving sons or because Ginny got the benefit of being the youngest child and only girl.
Voldemort’s Horcrux used this insecurity to antagonize Ron, even making him feel that Molly would prefer Harry as a son. Ron felt he was least loved by Molly because he was nothing special, especially since he felt his birth was immaterial.
Ron Convinced Himself That Harry & Hermione Were Having An Affair
Arguably one of Ron’s worst story arcs in Harry Potter was when he treated Hermione and Harry with seething venom due to the Horcrux’s influence. However, it was born out of a legitimate fear that the pair were having an affair, as Ron was scared that Hermione would fall for the multi-talented Harry.
It was due to his deep-seated insecurity that Ron never even told Harry, his best friend, that he had feelings for Hermione. By bottling up his fears over matters of the heart, Ron convinced himself that the two had to be brewing up a romance behind his back. It was only after Harry outright told him he saw Hermione as a sister that this fear went a
Ron's Embarrassment At Coming From A Poor Household
Malfoy’s trump card to antagonize Ron was bringing up his family’s lack of wealth, which always did the trick in angering the latter. Ron’s reasons weren’t special but because he was always given hand-me-downs, never getting to experience new things specifically bought for him.
Even Ron’s original wand belonged to Charlie, which contributed to Ron thinking that he would have been happier if his family were richer. All things considered, Ron deserved to feel special sometimes, as seen when he was overjoyed when he got his own broomstick. Ron never held his family’s poor status against his parents, as his insecurity came from not receiving things that he felt he deserved, rather than through entitlement.
Ron Worried He Was Only Seen As Harry's Sidekick
While the fandom is convinced that Ron and Harry Potter are each other’s true soulmates, the former was actually scared that his peak in life was to be Harry’s sidekick. In fact, the reason why he was angry at Harry for being in the Triwizard Tournament was that he thought Harry wanted all the glory, not due to jealousy.
Ron wanted to be lauded for his own accomplishments, such as beating McGonagall’s chess challenge, stopping the Chamber of Secrets from being opened, fighting off the Death Eaters at the Ministry, among others, but he saw that these were always associated with Harry.
Ron's Belief That Nothing He Achieved Mattered Because His Brothers Had Already Done It
Ultimately, this was Ron’s biggest insecurity in life, in that he had such a long measuring stick to look up to that he just didn’t matter. Ron’s grades didn’t match Percy and Bill, his Quidditch skills weren’t at Charlie’s level, and he wasn’t naturally talented like the twins - all these things did a number at his confidence.
Ron kept limiting himself with thoughts of being usurped in relevance. He saw himself with all the combined achievements of his brothers in the Mirror of Erised because deep down Ron wanted to be at their level rather than just to be considered as the youngest Weasley brother.