Finished one playthrough, whats with Treska (spoilers)

[Unseen]

What I mean is who the hell is this kid and why was he suddenly thrust into the story. And was he suppose to be her friend she was talking to the whole game or is he just some kid with equal mental issues? I think he looks even worse than the lead character honestly. I thought he seemed like a punk at first trying to thrust himself into her life and insist she hang out with him. She obviously didn't like him, but its the stuff at the grocery I don't understand. Treska does nothing rude to these people other than having a mental breakdown, or anxiety attack or something. And none of these heartless bastards feel sorry for this kid with mental issues? The lead character doesn't even like the kid and she feels more sorry for him than these people. And when they say is he yours, is that suppose to mean the kids far younger than the lead and they thought she was his mother or older sister? So why would a bunch of grown supposedly mature adults all treat this kid whos obviously struggling with some kind of mental issue like absolute dirt? I've watched enough what would you do to know that's not how the world works and someone would come to this crying boys rescue. Maybe its an eastern euro thing I don't get, but in usa if some kid was frozen and crying in a convenient store people would be concerned not trying to make the kid feel like crap. The game was pretty cool early and mid point for the psychological stuff, but introducing treska and having this whole awkward scene at the convenient store... I don't even know the context behind it, except to say, there's people with even worse mental issues than the lead character? And that people are scum who hate children with mental issues? Is that what it was trying to say?

[Milkinsidexe]

Yeah, the Treska thing threw a lot of people off — you're not alone there. But honestly, that seems to be exactly the point. This game isn’t really big on clean exposition or neatly packaged answers. It kind of thrives on making you feel confused and unsettled.

Treska doesn’t appear to be the mysterious “friend” the protagonist talks to throughout the game. More likely, he’s a separate character — or maybe not a “real” person at all. A lot of people interpret him as a projection or symbolic reflection of the protagonist’s internal struggles. His sudden appearance and breakdown are probably less about him and more about how emotionally volatile and disconnected she is from the world.

As for the convenience store scene — yeah, it’s brutal. But that’s intentional too. It’s not meant to be a realistic depiction of how people behave in public (because yes, in real life someone would probably step in). Instead, it’s filtered entirely through the protagonist’s perception. To her, the world feels cold, alien, and emotionally dead. People aren’t people — they’re just blank, judging faces. So the harshness of that moment says more about her isolation and trauma than about society at large.

So no, I don’t think the takeaway is “people hate mentally ill kids.” It’s more like: this is how it feels to be someone who thinks the entire world is against them — even when it probably isn’t. And Treska is just another mirror to show that.

[Unseen]

He's gotta be a real character or the people there wouldn't of asked if he was yours. And then her throwing down a bunch of money and the cashier don't even ask if she wants her change is dickish. Sure its suppose to be a dark game about mental issues, but I've seen darker games in a completely sadistic and pointless way (doki doki literature club is one of the steamiest pieces of human ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ I ever played, along with binding of issac). But I ain't one of these edge lords who thinks bad equals cool story bro. I like to think logically about the world and society, and in that regard.... Can't really say the kid wasn't real as everyone in the store acknowledges him, and looks to her as his voice of reason.

I think in terms of realism, and the whole him being in her head does not add up to the customers and store keeper acknowledging the kid. Asking if he's her relationship, this is first hand example in concrete storytelling the kid is real. Unless he's a ghost, and the people were fooled.

I found the game series interesting up until treska made me take a wtf.. I just don't understand his role in this other than to make the lead character look a little more sane than him. Or maybe not, some people do suffer crippling anxiety where they can't function when confronted with people. Its a major issue with mental illness and one that people don't acknowledge. According to the storyline, and the customers and patrons acknowledgement of treska being there and asking about him... I can't logically go off the idea treska isn't real that'd be like me ignoring the games evidence that he is real.

[Milkinsidexe]

Originally posted by Unseen:

He's gotta be a real character or the people there wouldn't of asked if he was yours. And then her throwing down a bunch of money and the cashier don't even ask if she wants her change is dickish. Sure its suppose to be a dark game about mental issues, but I've seen darker games in a completely sadistic and pointless way (doki doki literature club is one of the steamiest pieces of human ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ I ever played, along with binding of issac). But I ain't one of these edge lords who thinks bad equals cool story bro. I like to think logically about the world and society, and in that regard.... Can't really say the kid wasn't real as everyone in the store acknowledges him, and looks to her as his voice of reason.

I think in terms of realism, and the whole him being in her head does not add up to the customers and store keeper acknowledging the kid. Asking if he's her relationship, this is first hand example in concrete storytelling the kid is real. Unless he's a ghost, and the people were fooled.

I found the game series interesting up until treska made me take a wtf.. I just don't understand his role in this other than to make the lead character look a little more sane than him. Or maybe not, some people do suffer crippling anxiety where they can't function when confronted with people. Its a major issue with mental illness and one that people don't acknowledge. According to the storyline, and the customers and patrons acknowledgement of treska being there and asking about him... I can't logically go off the idea treska isn't real that'd be like me ignoring the games evidence that he is real.

Totally fair take — I get where you're coming from. The fact that the people in the store respond to Treska definitely complicates the "he's not real" theory. It’s true, if we go by strict logic and realism within the story’s world, that would imply he exists on some level outside her head. And yeah, that moment with her throwing the money down and the cashier not reacting much is cold — but again, maybe purposefully so.

That said, I think what throws people off is that the game doesn’t seem to fully play by the rules of grounded storytelling. It blends perception and reality so tightly that it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. Like, even if Treska is physically present, the way he’s portrayed — his behavior, how intense and disjointed he feels — almost turns him into a narrative device more than a "character." Maybe he’s real, but amplified through the lens of the protagonist’s mental state, which could explain the surreal intensity of that scene.

Your point about her looking more sane next to him is interesting too. It’s like the game uses him as a contrast — not to make her look healthy, but to show how fragile sanity can be when the world around you stops making emotional sense.

So yeah, maybe he is real in the world of the game — but symbolically, he’s still more than just “a kid.” He seems to exist to push her — and us — into deeper discomfort, maybe to show how mental illness doesn’t always look neat or even coherent.

[Unseen]

Yea but I just don't buy that this girl who specifically says she don't like this kid, shows him more empathy in going with him and hanging out, than store workers. If anyones ever worked in retail, being that cold and unresponsive to a customer, specifically a kid who coulda just escaped from a kidnappers van or something, don't respond but on the opposite extreme tell the kid to get out and make him feel like he should drop dead. Which adults act like this to little boys? Cause from what I've seen a little boy that ain't talking in publics only gonna get concerned onlookers and possibly police asking him what the hell he's doing there.

Alternately everything they did could of been directed at the girl as she's known to be a pack rat, on medication, and probably not the best hygiene with roaches and trash everywhere. It could be that she fabricated the boy as a way to cope with her surroundings, and the patrons already knew her as crazy and she uses the boy to cope with it. But not sure if that's it either cause the patrons also acknowledge her, and also ask if he's hers, be it brother, son, whatever. So it also shows the patrons know little about her, but maybe know of her as a regular. But why the hell doesn't anyone know this kid who seems comfortable as hell being on the street alone, in some city in eastern europe?

Well either way guess I shouldn't analyze it to much, but I just find there's some holes with treska I don't really get or understand realistically speaking.

[Milkinsidexe]

Originally posted by Unseen:

Yea but I just don't buy that this girl who specifically says she don't like this kid, shows him more empathy in going with him and hanging out, than store workers. If anyones ever worked in retail, being that cold and unresponsive to a customer, specifically a kid who coulda just escaped from a kidnappers van or something, don't respond but on the opposite extreme tell the kid to get out and make him feel like he should drop dead. Which adults act like this to little boys? Cause from what I've seen a little boy that ain't talking in publics only gonna get concerned onlookers and possibly police asking him what the hell he's doing there.

Alternately everything they did could of been directed at the girl as she's known to be a pack rat, on medication, and probably not the best hygiene with roaches and trash everywhere. It could be that she fabricated the boy as a way to cope with her surroundings, and the patrons already knew her as crazy and she uses the boy to cope with it. But not sure if that's it either cause the patrons also acknowledge her, and also ask if he's hers, be it brother, son, whatever. So it also shows the patrons know little about her, but maybe know of her as a regular. But why the hell doesn't anyone know this kid who seems comfortable as hell being on the street alone, in some city in eastern europe?

Well either way guess I shouldn't analyze it to much, but I just find there's some holes with treska I don't really get or understand realistically speaking.

Yeah, I totally get what you're saying. If we look at it from a realistic, grounded point of view — you're right. The way the store staff reacts doesn’t make much sense. Most adults wouldn’t act that cold to a quiet, clearly distressed kid. And the fact that they ask if he’s hers does imply he’s there, physically.

But I wonder if the scene is less about what’s “really” happening, and more about how she experiences it. Like — maybe Treska is real, but the way people behave around him is exaggerated through her mental state. If she already sees the world as hostile or uncaring, then even neutral interactions might feel aggressive or empty. So instead of pure hallucination, it’s more like a distorted lens.

Your idea that the store people might already know her as “that weird girl” actually makes a lot of sense. That could explain why they’re cold to both of them — not because of Treska, but because they’ve already made up their minds about her.

So yeah, Treska might totally be real. But the way the scene is presented — it’s designed to feel uncomfortable and off, even if that means bending logic a little. Which can be frustrating, yeah — but also kind of effective in putting you inside her head.

[Unseen]

I'm wondering if there's gonna be a sequel because it seemed to end open ended, but there's probably still stuff I haven't found from one playthrough. But what the hell is the next one gonna be called. Milk inside, milk outside, well what else can you call it?

[Milkinsidexe]

Originally posted by Unseen:

I'm wondering if there's gonna be a sequel because it seemed to end open ended, but there's probably still stuff I haven't found from one playthrough. But what the hell is the next one gonna be called. Milk inside, milk outside, well what else can you call it?

Yeah, that ending definitely leaves things hanging. One of those "you sit there in silence after the credits" kind of deals. I’ve seen some people say there's still hidden stuff you can miss even on a full run, so who knows — maybe there's more meaning tucked away.

As for the sequel name? Haha, we’ve already had Milk Inside and Milk Outside... I’m half expecting Milk Gone Sour or Milk Spilled on the Floor. Or maybe just Milk Nowhere — total existential meltdown edition.

But yeah, I’d be totally down for a continuation. As confusing as it was, it sticks with you.