It really does beg the question: What does Tyrion want?

I think Penny is a plot device in character form, really. She shows Tyrion how, even though he’s felt mistreated his whole life for being a dwarf, he had it pretty well. True, in A Game of Thrones he says he’d likely have been left to die if he was a commoner, but that’s really all he thinks on the subject.

She also serves as an easy way to show how far Tyrion has fallen, morally speaking. Heloathes her, even as he tries to save her. I honestly don’t see him going out of his way to do that much longer, especially once the fighting starts. Tyrion, after having endured being called a monster, is now acting the part. And while it’s true there may lie redemption along the way with Penny, I don’t think Tyrion wants redemption.

He wants vengeance, fire, and blood. He wants to ride a dragon, not a pig. He wants his family to die and his wife back.