Mr Tulip
Mr Tulip is, along with Mr Pin, a member of the New Firm, a duo of interloping criminals in The Truth. He is something of a contradiction: a remorseless killer with the refined soul of a true fine-art connoisseur. He is differentiated from a common criminal by his habit of removing works of art from houses before committing arson, the ability to distinguish between priceless works of art and common forgeries, and an encyclopaedic knowledge of hundreds of years of great artists, artisans and their works. He is the muscle of the New Firm, and though an instinctive killer, recognises Mr Pin's cognitive skills, and leaves the thinking to him. He also suffers a mild speech impediment, causing him to often insert "—ing" mid-sentence (the suffix of an action verb without the verb itself). This hints that Mr Tulip's parental figures have left a lasting impression on his psyche, as he is someone who wants to swear but has been taught not to. It is also likely a commentary on the use and censorship of the swear word "fucking" in dialogue. His primary skill in the New Firm is his apparently unlimited supply of unspecific anger, and has turned mindless violence into an art form.
Mr Tulip has a tendency to buy and consume anything sold in little bags in an attempt to acquire drugs, but which tend to be rather common albeit unpotable items (such as chalk, pickles and corned-beef sandwiches).
Mr Tulip's past is hinted at being dark and fearful, a place even Mr Tulip is afraid to remember. The place where he lived had been apparently in the middle of a war zone. At the last, even their own soldiers were killing farmers, desperate to find any food.
His people also have a superstition that if you die holding a potato, you will be reincarnated. His belief in this is quite firm, as "since they've believed it for centuries, it must be right". He is killed by Mr Pin near the end of the novel and used for a life raft as molten lead flows around the pair. Unfortunately, Mr Pin also steals his potato shortly before killing him, but Mr Tulip manages to retain the memory of a potato in the afterlife. Death, perplexed at the concept of a soul having a strong but completely vague belief and noticing Tulip's showing some remorse, allows him to reincarnate as a woodworm. His final thought in the novel is that 'this is —ing good wood!'
Read more about this topic: Discworld Characters