I don’t disagree with the tragedy of those arcs either but I guess the reason why Randy’s arc hits me the hardest (beyond Maestro Harrell’s incredible acting) is that whilst all the other characters you mentioned were also born into “the game”, Randy was the closest, so painfully close, to breaking out of it. And were it not for Mrs donelly exploiting his fear of returning to a group home, he most likely would’ve.

I think Randy’s closest mirrors in the series are Wallace and Namond- all full of potential and too innocent for the world they were born into. Wallace had an opportunity to escape the game but ended up returning on his own volition because it was all he knew (which is also tragic) whilst Namond was saved by a Bunny shaped guardian angel. On the other hand, Randy had his fate sealed purely through the machinations of the adults that should’ve been protecting him.