Stranger Things 5 Reveals The Byers Are Living With The Wheelers – But The Reason Seems More Narrative Than Practical

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In the fifth season of Stranger Things, the Byers family is now living with the Wheelers. Following Jim Hopper’s disappearance to Russia at the end of Season 3, Joyce, Will, and Jonathan moved to Lenora Hills, California, along with Eleven, hoping to find safety from the threats of the Upside Down in Hawkins. To make the move, Joyce sold the house she’d owned with her ex-husband, Lonnie, for nearly twenty years. However, this decision created difficulties when the Byers returned to Hawkins permanently in Season 5.

Why Are The Byers Now Living In The Wheeler House?

With Hawkins now under military lockdown, the Byers family had nowhere to go and no home to return to. Luckily, the Wheelers generously offered them a place to stay.

With this new setup, Will and Jonathan are staying on the couches in the Wheeler’s basement – the same place where the group famously played Dungeons & Dragons – and Joyce has been moved to another part of the house.

The Wheeler family usually includes parents Karen and Ted, and their three children, Mike, Holly, and Nancy. Recently, they’ve been joined by Joyce, Will, and Jonathan, bringing the total to eight people at mealtimes for the time being.

Fans have noticed a change in the cast of Stranger Things season 5: the role of Holly Wheeler has been recast with a new actress.

Ted and Karen seem especially stressed by the living arrangement with the Wheelers-Byers, and Ted has even expressed a desire to ask them to move out.

TED: “How much longer?”

KAREN: “What do you want me to do, Ted? Kick ’em to the street?”

TED: “Is that an option?”

The cast of Stranger Things 5 has bigger problems than a full audience to worry about. The first part of the final season is now available on Netflix, with the remaining episodes releasing on December 25th and 31st.

Stranger Things 5: Was There a Better Living Situation for the Wheelers & Byers?

Seeing the Wheeler and Byers families living together is a cheerful and lively way to reconnect with eight of the actors from Stranger Things before the story really gets going, though it doesn’t seem like a very realistic living situation for either family.

Hawkins, Indiana is a town with a population of around 10,000 to 15,000 people, so there should be some available homes. It’s likely the government would have provided temporary housing for the Byers family and anyone else affected by the damage from the Upside Down.

However, the Wheelers’ comment about “kicking them to the street” reveals they actually needed the assistance and would have become homeless without it.

The Byers family could have potentially stayed with Jim Hopper, now that he and Joyce are together. However, Hopper’s cabin is already quite small for just him and Eleven, and wouldn’t have comfortably fit the entire Byers family as well.

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2025-11-28 22:08