However, after the outbreak began, since there was no more law and Dawn mostly let him and the other cops do as they please, Gorman took the opportunity to do whatever he wanted. Like many of the cops at the hospital, he may have once been a good person, seeing as he was a cop before the outbreak and even got an award. It's implies that Gorman wants to kill Dawn so he can take over and be free to do whatever he wants. He also seems to be highly disliked by many of his colleagues, such as Steven Edwards and Dawn herself. Gorman is shown to use his status as a cop for his own personal gain, such as telling Beth she ought to be nicer to him since he was the one who rescued her and later trying to blackmail Beth after catching her in Dawn's office. Gorman's actions later lead to Joan's suicide, who didn't want to deal with his abuse any longer. At one point, he finds Beth's lollipop which he puts in his mouth, only for him to force it into Beth's which he is shown to take twisted joy out of. He is shown to be a rapist, sexually abusing Joan and attempting to blackmail Beth when he catches her in Dawn's office. Gorman is a manipulative, cunning, cruel, perverted, and sadistic man, and is among the most abusive Hospital residents.