Although Frank preaches self-righteously about political and social issues, he spends most of his time developing schemes to cheat the system and takes advantage of others to make money.
After returning from Canada (illegally taken there by Fiona's boyfriend Steve), Frank gloms on to Sheila Jackson, mother to Lip's friends-with-benefits girlfriend Karen, after finding out that she lives on government benefits for her agoraphobia.
During the ensuing CPS custody hearing, the court allows Frank to retain parental rights of his minor-children, yet Fiona is named as legal guardian.
Near the end of the season, he is allowed to return to his old home after he starts making amends with the family, including helping fix up the house with some stolen possessions from the shelter.
While his children believe Frank has lost it, he proves his change is genuine by protecting his family from an armed meth head who was Monica's partner, earning him Fiona's gratitude.
Frank also nominates former congressman Mo White during a congressional election as a part of a scam to earn money, though he ends up with second thoughts after the man is revealed to be a sex offender.
During the first season of the show, while tutoring Karen Jackson in physics, Lip develops a sexual relationship with her, and soon falls in love with her, despite his refusal to commit.
Because of his affair with the much more worldly Helene, Lip starts losing interest in Amanda, and she eventually punches him in the face when he reveals he did not take their relationship as seriously as she was.
In season 7, Lip adjusts to sobriety and begins working as an intern at a sketchy tech company that is eventually shut down due to an FBI investigation.
He eventually works as a delivery driver for a food app, making low wages and little tips, while remodeling the Gallagher home to put it on the market.
After learning of children being forced to attend conversion camps by their parents, Ian takes up a crusade and inadvertently becomes the face of a movement, "Gay Jesus".
His behavior continues to be erratic, but after realizing how out-of-control his life and the movement have become, he goes back on his meds and takes responsibility for his actions, ultimately leading him to plead not guilty by reason of insanity.
Like her siblings, Debbie knows clever ways to make money at a young age and runs a daycare business in the early seasons.
A jealous Claudia reports Debbie to the police, who she attempts to evade fleeing down the backyard lane when officers arrive and is put on the sex offenders registry.
She later gets a dangerous new girlfriend, Heidi (Shakira Barrera), just released from prison and convinces Debbie to leave town with her and Franny to El Paso, Texas with her.
During season 4, when Frank is dying from liver failure, Carl takes it upon himself to find his father an organ donor and meets his half-sister Sammi, and her son.
Carl is traumatized by this and decides to give up his criminal ways, starting with using the money he earned from dealing drugs and guns to help Fiona buy back the house when they get evicted.
He also begins a makeshift detox business in the family's basement, where he meets Kassidi, an impulsive, unpredictable rich girl who ran away from home.
He manages to get a recommendation letter from a senator with some help from V, and begins volunteering at Soothing Horizons, a business that euthanizes elderly and terminally ill dogs.
His former partner Arthur recommends that Carl be reinstated to full policing duties with the COVID-19 pandemic with Leesie Jane as his mentor and the two consider buying the Alibi together and turning it into a cop bar after Kev and V decide to sell it and move to Louisville, Kentucky.
Despite her hostile nature to Frank, she is proud of him when she learns of his scams and tries her best to reach out to the Gallagher children by giving Fiona money and showering Carl and Debbie with gifts.
He stops stealing cars as he knows it will get him in trouble with Estefania's father, so he works various odd jobs, eventually deciding to finish med school.
Vee's attraction to Svetlana initially causes tension between her and Kev, but the three eventually work out a solution, and by season 7, they are in a polyamorous relationship and raising their children together.
Molly Milkovich' (Madison Rothschild) is a guest character that appeared in episodes 4 and 5 of season 3, the son of Terry and of an unnamed woman, raised to be a girl.
In the middle of season 2, Ethel meets an African-American boy named Malik who has a daughter the same age as Jonah, and the two quickly fall in love.
He tries to channel Lip's talents into worthwhile endeavors and supports him; however, in return, Hearst wants drugs and knowledge about contemporary youth and popular culture to bed his female students.
Lip tries to talk to her one last time as she leaves the school grounds, having openly proclaimed his love for her in the college board meeting, but Helene looks him in the eye and tells him to never contact her again, to stay away from her and her family, and to keep out of her life as she tries to fix her own problems.
He is a professor at Chicago Polytechnic University and acts as a father figure, mentor, and drinking buddy to Lip, whom he employs as a teaching assistant.
When Lip finally realizes that she is a good-hearted person and wants a deeper relationship she tells him she has her own issues to worry about and is not with him to be his support group.
She was used to throw off an Office of Inspector General worker named Abby Ruggiero after she came to the Gallagher home suspecting that they were cashing Ginger's checks without her consent.