Tear Jerker / Pentiment

SPOILERS AHEAD!

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• The game does NOT shy away from the topic of child mortality. Despite it being much more common in the 16th century than today, the grief that parents (and extended community) experience is shown to be just as devastating.
  • This early Act II exchange with Brigita:
    Andreas: You don't want to remember him?
    Brigita: I do. Of course I do.
    Andreas: Do you? Really?
    Brigita: No. Oh, I don't know... Did I do all I could for him? I cherished him. I tried to protect him. But it wasn't enough. Maybe God took him from me because I wasn't enough. And maybe it's good Wolff died, if Mary in Heaven would be a better mother for him than I ever could have been... it's not over for Kat. She wants to keep him alive by remembering him. But I need it to be over.
    Andreas: When you dwell on his death, it begins to feel like something terrible might happen to you. Like you might do something terrible.
    Brigita: Yes.
    Brigita: Andreas, did you- do you have children?
  • The reveal that Andreas did indeed have a child, and found his loss so hard to bear that he only lets himself think about him in his dreams.
    "I loved you, little boy."
• The rebellion in Act II was a major tragedy, with Peter Gertner, Johan Bauer, Old Til, Sepp Hübner and Anton Pfeiffer all killed, among others. 18 years later the survivors remain deeply traumatized. Anton in particular was a child who died because he put himself between a soldier and his father. As mentioned, Karl hasn't forgotten.
  Magdalene: How did you go on?
  Karl: Did I? I don't know. Some nights I think I am there still. The abbey is always burning.
• If Lucky was killed in Act I and Andreas eavesdrops on Agnes' confession, he learns that she still despises him for his role in her husband's death and struggles to forgive. Andreas can't help but bury his face in his hands.
• Failing the check to send Caspar away to safety lists all the moments of kindness that earned you his loyalty, and thus doomed him.
• Walking through the burnt-out abbey in Act III after becoming so familiar with it in the previous acts is incredibly bittersweet.
• By Act II, the Gertners can no longer afford bread for themselves. Caspar notices this and tries to give his piece to a still-hungry Ursula, but this is harshly rebuffed by Peter.
  Peter: I'm not going to have people in this town saying we can't afford to feed our God-damned guests!
• Claus Drucker's death in Act III. Both the player and Magdalene have known it was coming for a long time, but the sight of Magdalene crumpling to the ground in tears while Andreas tries to comfort her is still a Gut Punch.