Tyler has been described as an antisocial, spiteful and selfish individual with an obsession for photography who disregards privacy issues of those he stalks behind his camera. His habit is making people miserable by spreading photos of them to others and has also displayed a gay-related fetish within his songs and interviews, seemingly either because of depression or simply to get attention.
Tyler develops an obsession for Hannah but is too shy to tell her directly and she rejects him; so instead he stalks and takes pictures without her knowledge, which scares her and Courtney together. Tyler eventually confesses his wrongdoing and attempts to ask Hannah out again but she declines again, leading the other girls and jocks to mock and bully him over his actions, leaving him feeling miserable and rejected yet again.
In his farewell video he recorded, Tyler shared how much his life hurt since he was seven. He battled depression, an eating disorder and self-hatred all his life despite taking human growth hormone injections in order to make himself taller for increased self-esteem and better body image despite constant assurance from Mary Jo that she loved him unconditionally despite never feeling it himself. His mother would tell Tyler how much she cared but it never resonated within his soul.