Warning: Spoilers will be unmarked. Completion of the game is recommended before reading this page.
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The Child
Just turned two, this brave toddler is forced to uncover frightening mysteries and find their disappeared mother, at the risk of their own, young life. Turns out it was All Just a Dream reflecting their fears in real life regarding their relationship with their parents, particularly their mother.
- Ambiguous Gender: It's never stated if the protagonist is male or female.
- Children Are Innocent: Because they're too young to understand anything going on around them, they have a distorted perception on certain events. All of their drawings and the creatures they encounter are symbolic of their abusive alcoholic mother, and it's not even clear if they realize that all these mean creatures are mom.
- Guile Hero: Not that they would be capable of it, considering their age.
- Harmful to Minors: Everything they have to witness on their adventure is definitely not something a two-year old should be exposed to, such as uncanny, threatening monsters and creepy atmospheres. It's lampshaded by Teddy ("No child should have to go through this..."). In the non-imaginative sense, it's revealed that their mother is an alcoholic and abusive towards them. As such, they have learned not to talk back in risk of her lashing out on them, explaining why they're pretty silent for being two years old. This is also the reason the father has demanded custody over them so they don't have to live in an abusive household.
- Heroic Mime: They're the protagonist and they don't speak, aside from some noises a baby would make here and there.
- Kid Hero: With an emphasis on kid; they've just turned two by the beginning of the game!
- Nice Guy: They've shown that they do care as much about Teddy as the latter cares about them, and in the Prologue DLC, their main objective is to rescue their toy friends.
- No Name Given: Probably has one, but it's never mentioned.
- Mr. Imagination: Almost the entire game is actually taking place in the child's head, albeit as a way of processing real events.
- Pajama-Clad Hero: Always wears pajamas throughout the game.
- Silent Protagonist: Justified, as they're a toddler. Lampshaded by Teddy:Teddy: Not much of a talker, eh?
- Sprint Meter: Not really a meter, but if you run for too long, they will stumble and begin to walk on all fours. If you're going to move fast, it's better to just crawl quickly.
Teddy
Voiced by: Roger L. Jackson
The toddler's present for their second birthday and companion. He has the mindset of an adult and is really caring and warm towards his new owner. He also serves as his Security Blanket throughout the game as the protagonist can hug him for comfort and elicit light in dark places.
- Beary Friendly: He's a cute little bear that helps you through the game.
- Companion Cube: To the point that the child imagines him as alive.
- Creepy Good: He's very warm and comforting, but his eyes can be off-putting to most players.
- Cuddle Bug: "I'm here if you need a hug, you know." A hug from him will make him light up, even!
- Head Pet: More like "Shoulder Pet," when you aren't hugging him, he's carried on your back.
- Imaginary Friend: At the beginning, it's a bit unclear, but he turns out to be this towards the end, as he shares the voice of the father.
- Mr. Exposition: Mostly in the beginning to make the player used to the controls.
- Nice Guy: Very kind and helpful towards his owner.
- Non-Human Sidekick: Assuming he's a Not-So-Imaginary Friend, he'd be a living teddy bear sidekick to the child.
- Parental Substitute: Looks after the child while the mother is seemingly missing.
- Security Blanket: Serves as this to the protagonist, both literally and mentally, as hugging him will induce a light to see better in the dark.
The Mother
Voiced by: Cia Court
The protagonist's mother; she's warm, caring and a good parent overall. Yeah, right. While actually well-meaning, she is an alcoholic and outright abusive towards her child; which is at the expense of her custody of them.
- Alcoholic Mom: Has troubles with alcohol, which is why her child is reluctant to interact with her when she's downing a bottle; they're afraid she will hit them.
- Abusive Parents: She hits her child when drunk and gets angry whenever they make noise, which certainly isn't good for a developing toddler.
- Big Bad: The whole issue with her child being afraid is her fault.
- Good Parents: Subverted; the beginning of the game has the mother being sweet and caring towards the toddler as they celebrate their second birthday, but in actuality her alcoholism turns her abusive, which is harming her child.
- Humanoid Abomination: The monster is the toddler's version of his mother when she's drunk.
- Kick the Dog: With the trenchcoat monster taking the teddy bear during the dream sequence in a way that led to his arm being ripped off, and the mother later being seen holding the teddy bear sans arm, it's implied the mother forcibly ripped the teddy bear away from her child. Explained by the fact that she is drunk and the bear was a gift to the child from her ex-husband.
- Lady Drunk: In the ending, it's revealed that she drinks frequently and heavily.
- My God, What Have I Done?: She expresses regret for how poor of a mother she had been in the end, especially after she pushed her child away from her.
- No Name Given: Like her child, she's never called by name.
- Stringy-Haired Ghost Girl: In the Forested Home map and her concept art seen in the museum.
- Symbolism: The monsters are supposed to represent her in her stages of alcoholism; meaning, as her child sees her.
- Tragic Villain: Abuses her child, but the scene at the end suggests that she regrets it deeply and is torn up over losing custody of them. The DLC as well shows how her alcoholism might have developed as her relationship with her husband deteriorated.
- Troubled Abuser: She hits her child, but she apologizes immediately afterwards and regrets it. She clearly loves her child but she definitely doesn't know how to raise them right, which is why their father is so intent on taking them away from her. Heck, when talking to her child at the ending, she seems to vaguely admit to her child that the whole situation has left her feeling frustrated and overwhelmed.Mother: I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, it's just too much...
- Walking Spoiler: Revealing anything about her would reveal so much tragedy and plot.
The Father
Voiced by: Roger L. Jackson
The protagonist's father. Unlike the mother, he has no alcoholic issues and genuinely worries about his child's safety within the household of the mother, which is why he demanded custody. The game's DLC provides hints that he may be abusive as well, but judging from the toddler's perspective, he seems to be the better parent of the two.
- Big Good: Up to interpretation; in the main game he appears to be the optimal parent for the child, with the toddler going into the light to him, and he's implied to be the influence (likely from the child's imagination) behind the teddy bear. However, the DLC hints that he and the mother had a vitriolic relationship, meaning he may have caused some of the tragedy to start with.
- Disappeared Dad: Until he shows up at the end, that is. He doesn't live with the mother because they are getting divorced.
- Domestic Abuse: The game and later DLC give indications he is abusive towards his ex-wife, possibly in reaction to or causing her alcholism. Of the two of them, the child appears to prefer him over her, so it's unknown how this carries over to him as a parent.
- Good Parents: Compared to the toddler's mother, at least. He's soft-spoken and gentle towards the toddler, following right on the end of the mother drunkenly slapping them, and the teddy bear that guides the player through the game is given his voice.
- No Name Given: Like the rest of the family, he's given no name in-game.
- Pay Evil unto Evil: One possible way to interpret his actions is that he struck his wife purely because she struck the child.
- Symbolism: He is represented by the Teddy, the shroud of his child's comfort in spite of walking through clearly hazardous places in which the monsters, the representations of the drunk mother, are roaming. The two share the same voice actor.
- Walking Spoiler: Moreso than the mother, his involvement in the story comes with the reveal that there's nothing supernatural going on.
The Furnace Monster
Only appearing in the prequel chapter, it is a mysterious monster manifesting as an animated furnace that closes in on you through the house's small basement. You need to go to the cellar in the far side of the room as fast as you can, or switch on the lights, though they will stay that way only for a brief time. Otherwise, you need to exit the basement to restart its original position, or risk being game over'd.
- Advancing Boss of Doom: You better be quick to make a decision before it gets you.
- Evil Is Burning Hot: It is a furnace. For some reason, the doll stationed near it remains frozen.
Maybe the furnace is unholy? - Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: There's absolutely no explanation why it's there, unlike the Female Monster or the Trench Coat Monster. It might be a product of the child's imagination as in everything scary about the game, but it might very well not be the case.
- Light Is Not Good: Emits a bright light, contrasting it with the pitch black environment. So go on and head for it.
- Living Structure Monster: A particularly nasty example.
- Outrun the Fireball: Inverted. You need to head towards it so you have enough time to hide in the cellar besides its original position, which is your only protection in the basement.
- Things That Go "Bump" in the Night: The first time you meet it, it's probably in this way. You arrive at a bright basement, only for the lights to turn off, making it pitch black. You hear a crack, followed by a bright light in the faraway side that quickly goes after you...
- Weakened by the Light: Which is weird, considering that it's a furnace. If you turn the room's switch on, it stops following you. Of course, it's only a brief breather, since the switch will turn off again eventually...
