Dilton Doiley - Family and Friends

Family and Friends

Dilton's parents appear from time to time, but almost never play a significant role. Both are typically depicted as dark haired and bespectacled like their son. His mother who is both proud of and perplexed at her son's inventiveness, appears more often than his father. Like the teenaged characters, many of Dilton's relatives were simply created for one particular story and were never seen again.

In one story in the 1970s, it was revealed that Mr. Doiley is actually Dilton's stepfather. None of Dilton's friends know this except for Chuck Clayton. Dilton, not feeling that he could deal with the shock after it being kept a secret all this time, almost ran away from home. However, after confiding in Chuck about his problem, Chuck made Dilton realize that Mr. Doiley cares about Dilton like a real father and that he would be heartbroken if Dilton ran away from home.

Moose Mason is Dilton's closest friend. Despite their completely different personalities, their closeness stems from a mutual understanding and how well they complement each other. Moose considers Dilton his "little buddy" and will do anything to protect him—anyone bullying Dilton would face Moose's wrath. In current stories, this relationship is increasingly being portrayed as symbiotic, with Dilton standing up in favour of Moose—in one story, he even pounces on Reggie Mantle in defense of Moose, when the latter was insulting Moose.

Dilton's other close friends include Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones. He has helped the gang many times with his various inventions or with his vast knowledge when they are faced with a problem. He is also willing to help his friends if they have difficulty in school. These are just some of the ways that Dilton manages to fit in with the gang.