‘Peanuts’ Understood This Better Than Most Comics Ever Have

Published Aug 16, 2026, 3:55 PM EDT Collier Jennings is an entertainment journalist with a substantial amount of experience under his belt. Collier, or "CJ" to his friends and family, is a dedicated fan of genre films - particularly science fiction, fantasy and comic book adaptations, not to mention all forms of animation animation. This stems from a close bond with his father, who introduced him to these genres via copies of X-Men comics and reruns of the original Ultraman series. Using his near-encyclopedic knowledge and bottomless love of genre, he's been able to tackle a wide variety of articles. If you've ever read a Peanuts comic, you've probably picked up on a few recurring elements. Some sort of misfortune will befall Charlie Brown, whether personal or public. Snoopy and Woodstock will embark on an outlandish yet entertaining adventure. Lucy is never going to let Charlie Brown kick the football. But one key element most Peanuts strips touch on is the idea of loneliness​​​​​. In fact, Peanuts might be the first comic strip to truly capture why certain people feel lonely, and in the process, creator Charles M. Schutlz turned out some of his best work. A key example happens in a Peanuts strip where Charlie Brown talks with his friend Linus. During the strip, Charlie Brown laments, "I can never go anyplace with another person because that person usually doesn't like me," and expands on how the problem gets worse with more people. What makes this both hilarious and a little heartbreaking is that during the strip, Linus gets fed up and leaves, proving Charlie Brown's point. But this isn't the only time that Peanuts dives deep into the idea of loneliness, as there are plenty of other examples throughout the strip's history. 'Peanuts' Showcases Loneliness Through Characters Who Aren't Charlie Brown Image via 20th Century Studios The character who's arguably the face of Peanuts is Snoopy the beagle, thanks to his flights of fancy and the fact that, unlike other dogs, readers are able to see his thoughts. In certain strips, Charles Schulz shows that Snoopy suffers from loneliness as well​​​​​. A strip has him lying on top of his doghouse at night before knocking at the door; Charlie Brown is kind enough to let Snoopy in, while also delivering another of his introspective speeches about loneliness. If that wasn't enough, it turns out that Snoopy has a brother named Spike who's chosen to live in the desert by himself. The reasons for Spike's exile turn out to be extremely dark, especially for Peanuts. Perhaps the most surprising admission of loneliness comes from none other than Charlie Brown's friend/therapist/rival, Lucy van Pelt. At first glance, Lucy's the complete opposite of Charlie Brown. She's outspoken, unafraid to take charge, and proves to be just as, if not more, introspective than Charlie Brown. Yet in one strip, she delivers a surprising confession to Charlie Brown: "I always seem to feel lonely when I'm in a crowd." Charlie Brown is extremely surprised, but it shows that someone as outgoing as Lucy can still feel lonely at times. It's also a relatable moment for readers, as everyone's felt lonely at some point in their life. Charles M. Schulz Uses a Certain Season To Highlight the Themes of Loneliness in ‘Peanuts’ The best example of Peanuts' approach to loneliness, surprisingly, is in the strips set during Christmas. Most people who think of Peanuts and Christmas will probably be reminded of A Charlie Brown Christmas, which remains one of the most iconic Christmas specials ever made. But the Peanuts strips tell a different story, often dealing with the loneliness that comes around the holidays. Perhaps the most striking example comes from a moment where Snoopy reflects on how it's not great to be alone during Christmas Eve. This was actually intentional, as Charles Schulz said he was pouring his own feelings about the holiday into his work: "Christmas and a lot of holidays bring out the loneliness in us because we never seem to be able to come up to the joy the magazines tell us we're supposed to have. They show us illustrations of homes with packages and trees and people smiling, but in real life it's never quite that way." Peanuts has endured for decades because it was willing to tackle heavy topics you usually wouldn't see in comic strips, and loneliness was one of them. Despite his seemingly never-ending streak of poor luck, Charlie Brown ended up being one of the most relatable fictional characters ever created. Release Date 1965 - 2005 Directors Phil Roman Cast Ann Altieri Violet (voice) Cathy Steinberg Sally Brown (voice) Christopher DeFaria Peppermint Patty (voice) Christopher Shea Linus van Pelt (voice) Creator(s) Bill Melendez, Charles M. Schulz