A farmer and a veterinarian, Hershel lives on a (mostly) bucolic estate in rural Georgia with his daughters Maggie and Beth, farmhand Otis, his wife Patricia and Jimmy following the undead outbreak. When Rick and his company of survivors arrive, Hershel is reluctant to accept them fully, making the group camp outside rather than living in the big farmhouse a symbol of relative stability in a world gone mad. His past includes trouble with alcoholism, which resurface in the face of so much death and destruction. The messy state of the post-apocalyptic landscape also tests his religious faith as well as his faith in his fellow man.Unlike survivors such as Shane, Hershel believes that a cure is possible and that his undead friends, neighbors and loved ones might someday return to their normal human state. This belief drives Hershel to take few unconventional measures that are eventually revealed to Rick and the rest of the survivors much to their shock and discomfort. Through it all, however, Hershel remains a principled and caring person, using his rudimentary medical skills to aid several survivors. He is a voice of reason and caring logic, especially to Rick, who comes to trust Hershel for guidance under the most trying circumstances.