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David and Company
David Hoover
The protagonist. David moves into a new apartment during a rough point in his life, and immediately strange things occur which prompt him to search for the mysterious previous tenant.
- Action Survivor: Despite taking many actions that could be very detrimental to his health, David can hold his own in a fight and is rather good at surviving weirdness.
- Arbitrary Skepticism: David still feels the need to call Paul an "occult fanatic" even after all the weird stuff he's been through.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: The reason why Sophie falls in love with him in The Sandman (2014).
- Big Brother Instinct:
- To Sissi, D, and Fluffy, as he tries his best to encourage and protect them.
- In The Sandman (2014), David develops this for Sophie.
- He also develops this for Will, taking care of him when he comes to town and sending Sophie to look for him after he runs away from his and Shirley's house.
- Big Damn Heroes: Pulls this a few times. Each person he meets on his quest — Sissi, D, Fluffy — he ends up having to save from being killed by the Crooked Man.
- Break the Cutie: He really is a genuinely sweet guy, but the things he faces puts him through utter hell, both before and during the game. Turns out this is the only way to ultimately save his life...
- Broken Tears: David's face is covered in tears when he's contemplating suicide.
- Cassandra Truth: Is never able to convince anyone that the Crooked Man is after him or them until it's almost too late. Paul believes him, though; he saw it too.
- Character Development: A sweet but severely insecure and tormented guy. His encounters with the Crooked Man, Sissi, D, and Fluffy ultimately force him to become more confident and thoughtful of how he views life and the choices he's made.
- Determinator: Keeps trying to find the former tenant, no matter how many times he almost dies as a result.
- Distressed Dude: Briefly gets possessed by the Crooked Man who tries to compel him to suicide and his best friend Paul has to come save him. Or else fail spectacularly.
- Driven to Suicide: The Crooked Man tries to force him to do this. If Paul fails to drive it away, he succeeds.
- Establishing Character Moment: When he finds a note in his apartment during the prologue about ghosts and spirits, he makes an extremely casual comment of not caring if they haunted or killed him, telling you already that the guy is NOT at all okay...
- Extreme Doormat: Shirley accuses David of being this, saying that he wasn't kind, but insecure and that he didn't have a personality of his own. When David denies it, she leaves him.
- Freak Out: Had one in the past where he almost killed his mom. Remembering this some time later causes him to have another one and almost kill himself with the Crooked Man's assistance.
- Heroic BSoD: Suffers one when faced with an image of his mother and recalling some very painful memories.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: After Paul saves him from the Crooked Man compelling him to shoot himself, David doesn't seem to have any memory of the incident, is confused that Paul was beating him, and insists that he was perfectly normal the whole time.
- Mommy Issues: One of the biggest things looming over his life and keeping him depressed is that his mother has a tumor in her brain and can't even recognize him. She got so upset, thinking he was a stranger invading her home, that she had a Freak Out, leading to him also having a Freak Out and almost killing her. Remembering that incident, in particular, is what causes his Heroic BSoD.
- Murder-Suicide: If Paul tries to grab for the gun while David is being forced to commit suicide, David will end up accidentally shooting him. Then he gets even more upset and shoots himself anyway.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After he freaks out and nearly kills his insane mother. This particular memory is so traumatic that remembering it some time later causes him to go into a Heroic BSoD.
- Nice Guy: A very important character trait. David's kind personality allows him to bond with Sissi (who lampshades it), D, and Fluffy, but the Crooked Man also takes advantage of it. A book specifically says that "they" (spirits, the Crooked Man) would take advantage of people's kindness to manipulate them.
- Sanity Slippage: His friends suggested he move for a change of pace and are shown to be very worried about him, and even his ex-fiancee calls him to check up on him. He had a Freak Out when his mom had a particularly bad breakdown and almost strangled her sometime in the past. Remembering this incident later leaves him so upset that the Crooked Man is able to possess him and almost compels him to suicide.
- Tragic Dream: His dream of being a pilot was dashed because he is color-blind.
Paul
David's friend, Paul is the one who helped David move into the apartment. He is later playable near the end of the game, when he has to stop David from shooting himself.
- A Friend in Need: Paul and Marion go out of their way to help David, even though some bickering between them you overhear early on indicates how much of a drain helping him is. Late in the game, a disturbing phone call prompts them to take an entire day out to drive to a secluded place they've never been to and into circumstances they have no knowledge of, just to make sure David's okay. It's a good thing they did too; Paul ends up saving David's life.
- And Now for Someone Completely Different: You briefly play as Paul.
- Big Damn Heroes: He goes all the way to an abandoned hospital, runs up several flights of stairs, and punches David in order to save David when it seems he's being manipulated into shooting himself.
- Cassandra Truth: Dialogue late in the game hints (and his character profile confirms) that Paul's always been able to see or at least "feel" supernatural things, and David and Marion had never believed him about it, leading to David being surprised when Paul believes him about the monster.
- Chekhov's Hobby: Early on, David makes an offhand remark about how Paul's into occult things. Paul can see dead people, hence him being able to follow the advice of Sissi, D, and Fluffy, and ultimately saving David from one of the Crooked Man's nastiest attacks on him yet.
- Happily Married: To Marion.
- I See Dead People: When he and Marion go to the abandoned hospital to find David, he can see Sissi, Fluffy and D, while Marion cannot. Later, he briefly sees the Crooked Man himself, with one arm around David and the other holding David's hand with the gun up to David's head. After he saves David, David is surprised Paul believes him about the Crooked Man.
- I See Them, Too: He sees the fragments of Duke's spirit, just like David does. In fact, he's been able to see weird things far longer than David has.
Marion
Paul's wife.
- Alliterative Name: Marion Martin.
- Arbitrary Skepticism: Does not believe the fact that Paul can see ghosts.
- Beta Couple: An odd example with Paul. Her relationship with Paul is shown more times than the one between David and Shirley.
- Happily Married: To Paul.
- Shipper on Deck: For David and Shirley. She shares David’s new number with Shirley and drags Paul away in the epilogue so that David and Shirley can talk. She’s also the one who introduced both of them to each other.
David's Mother (Rachel Hoover)
David's elderly mother. She cannot remember who David is and has to be hospitalized because she has a tumor in her brain.
- All There in the Manual: From the translated post from Uri's blog
, her name is Rachel. - Face Death with Dignity: Knowing that she is about to die, she simply sends David out for a glass of water so as not to make him watch.
- Scatterbrained Senior: She has dementia, induced by a brain tumor, and frequently forgets who David is.
Shirley Webber
David's ex-fiancée, who left him because she disliked his kind attitude, believing that he was insecure and weak because of it.
- All There in the Manual: The character profile reveals her full name, her background, and the reasons why she broke up with David.
- Hot-Blooded: According to
Word of God. - Maybe Ever After: With David, in the Good Ending. She becomes his fiancee in The Sandman (2014).
- My God, What Have I Done?: After breaking up with David, she immediately regrets it.
- Opposites Attract: She is stubborn and strong-willed compared to the meek and kind David.
- Tomboyish Ponytail
Other Characters (Spoilers Unmarked)
Sissi
A young woman David meets when he investigates an abandoned hotel. She is looking for something precious that was given to her by her boyfriend before he left her. Is really just a "facet" of Duke's memory, modeled after Duke's insecurities and after being dumped by his ex-girlfriend.
- Damsel in Distress: David has to save her twice; once when the floor cracks around her and traps her, and later on when she gets attacked by the Crooked Man.
- Dead All Along: Is really a "fragment" of Duke's memory, named after the fact that he felt like a "sissy" for not being able to get over his ex-lover, and Duke is himself dead.
- Heroic BSoD: Say the wrong thing to her near the end of her chapter. Watch her give up on her quest to keep fond memories alive and drop the precious box her boyfriend gave her.
- Literal Split Personality: She is an aspect of Duke representing his regret over lost love.
- Meaningful Name: She feels like she's a sissy for being unable to let go of her fond memories of her boyfriend. Her ex boyfriend also told her that all she has is kindness, implying she's a weak person.
D
A young man David encounters while investigating an old law school. D is wandering around the place because he has fond memories of it. Is really a "facet" of Duke's memory, modeled after Duke in his college days.
- Book Dumb: According to D and one of his professors, D has never been intelligent. Despite his less-than-average intelligence, he hopes to become an excellent lawyer one day.
- Dead All Along: Is really a "fragment" of Duke's memory (modeled after his college self).
- Fiery Redhead: Has red hair, and the determination and slightly bad temper to match.
- Freak Out: Has one when he learns a professor he greatly respected did not have high hopes for him at all and secretly mocked him behind his back. If you say the wrong thing when trying to calm him down, he stabs you.
- Heroic BSoD: After he learns the truth about the professor he held in high regard. Say the wrong thing to him here and not only will he not come out of it, but he'll also freak out and stab you.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He initially acts rude and overly suspicious to David during his first encounters. After David is attacked by the Crooked Man, D softens up and helps David by giving him an energy drink to boost his health. He's also willing to stay with David when the Crooked Man corners them in the lecture hall and also asks if he could go drinking with David if they were to meet again. During Marion and Paul's segment, he also encourages Paul to find David.
- Literal Split Personality: He is an aspect of Duke representing his regret over his failure to achieve his dreams.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Is called "D" for "Dreamer" because he has such big dreams. A professor he looked up to secretly thinks it should be "D" as in "the only grade he'll ever get." Subverted when it is revealed that he is Duke.
- Tragic Dream: His dream of passing the bar exam. He's tried so hard for it, but has always failed, to the point that a man he looked up to and trusted secretly detested him for his inability to make it behind his back.
Fluffy
A little boy David finds in an abandoned hospital. Fluffy is waiting for his mother. She never comes, and is implied to have died in the hospital while Fluffy is too young to understand the concept of death. Fluffy too is a "facet" of Duke's memory, modeled after Duke in his childhood.
- Cheerful Child: At first, when you'll find him singing. But as things progress, he starts losing his cheer.
- Curious as a Monkey: When accompanying David, he'll often make comments or ask questions about the objects you're analyzing.
- Heroic BSoD: Gives up and leaves very upset when he realizes his mother is never coming for him.
- Literal Split Personality: He is an aspect of Duke representing his feelings of Parental Abandonment.
- Missing Mom: His mother never comes for him, and it's implied she died while he was still in the hospital.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: He's called "Fluffy" because his hair is all fluffy. Subverted when it is revealed that he is a young Duke.
- Tagalong Kid: While Sissi and D are following their own missions, Fluffy instead follows David around.
- Trying Not to Cry: He tries a (pretty flimsy) facade of bravery, but ends up breaking down after he sees the Crooked Man for the first time. He then reveals he does this because his mom hates when he cries.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Unlike Sissi and D, Fluffy left in a fit after realizing that his mother is never coming back and didn't let go like the previous two. While David was about to chase after him, he stops after realizing his own Mommy Issues, and he decides to just to head back home, which leaves Fluffy's fate uncertain. Luckily, it turns out that Fluffy is just a memory "facet", meaning that he wasn't in danger to begin with, outside of The Crooked Man.
The Crooked Man
A twisted entity that starts following David everywhere on his journey, and tries to kill him and his companions at every location. It turns out he's a fragment of the tenant David's been looking for this whole time. The reason he stalks David is because he hates David for being so much like him and wants him to die for it… and because some part of him wants David to not go down the same path he did and end up like him.
- The Adjectival Man: The Crooked Man, to emphasize his role as the mysterious villain.
- Big Bad: The main threat stalking David and threatening the people he meets.
- The Heartless: The Crooked Man is all of Duke's anger and resentment over his failures in life.
- Humanoid Abomination: Looks like a tall man with decayed skin, a bloody Slasher Smile, and a neck turned almost 180 degrees to the side.
- Implacable Man: David shoves him into a pit? Sets him on fire? Knifes him? Locks him in a room? Beats him with an iron pipe? Hits him with a fire extinguisher? Shoots him a lot? Only the last one eventually stops him.
- Literal Split Personality: He is an aspect of Duke representing his anger over everything going wrong in his life.
- Noodle People: His neck and a few of his limbs are horribly twisted, giving him the name.
- The Resenter: He really resents David because David reminds him too much of himself.
- Sink or Swim Mentor: The situations he keeps drawing David into are all situations where David has to buck up or die.
- Stealth Mentor: While part of him genuinely wants David dead, at the same time, part of him really wants David to succeed and is trying to give him the motivation to fix his life.
- Taking You with Me: He wanted to drive David to commit suicide because he didn't want to suffer alone.
- Unfinished Business: His attacks on David turn out to be him trying to come to terms with his own failures in life.
- Walking Spoiler: You don't find anything out about what he is until the tail end of the game, when he is revealed to be a fragment of the former tenant.
- Was Once a Man: Before hanging himself and becoming a vengeful spirit, he was Duke, an ordinary guy trying to make it big in the legal world.
- Would Hurt a Child: During the hospital location, he pursues Fluffy just like he did for Sissi and D. In fact, when David and Fluffy find him trying to eat the embryo model, he goes after Fluffy after punching David. According to one of the hospital entries, Duke talks about wanting to kill his child self, confirming that he wanted to kill Fluffy more than David.
- You Are What You Hate: His reasons for trying to kill David; David reminds him too much of himself. Also, if Sissi, D, or Fluffy are around, he's more likely to attack them than David, since they are literally the aspects of himself he hates the most.
The Tenant
Duke MacGahan
The former tenant that David has been searching for.- Driven to Suicide: He hanged himself sometime back after failing to become a lawyer and having his girlfriend leave him, which is why he has such a nasty crick in his neck.
- Mommy Issues: It's implied he's having abandonment issues concerning his mother; Fluffy, who is a facet of Duke, is found waiting forever for his mother who never shows up, and the Crooked Man is found dwelling in his mother's abandoned house.
- Literal Split Personality: After killing himself, his spirit split into Sissi, D, Fluffy, and the Crooked Man, all representing the negative feelings that led Duke to suicide.
