what does the mouthwash represent? (has spoilers)

[wheelchair lady]

i might b looking too hard into it, but this game seems like sumn where every little thing adds to the bigger picture

jimmys infatuation with cartoon horses (reliance animals, but in an exaggerated idealised version) hinting how he wants to be needed, but cant handle it

curlys eye always looking at jimmy representing how curly knows the truth of what actually happened

anyas suicide with painkillers showing her death was more of a relief to her

anyas id being covered up showing how Jimmy refuses to take responsibility for what happened to her

but the mouthwash eludes me, for being the namesake, it feels like an afterthought when i reminsce on the game, yet its such an important motif

i cant for the life of me figure out what it represents, so can someone break it down for me pleease? would be much appreciated

[Sardonicus]

To me the mouthwash represents the way that Jimmy keeps trying to "fix" everything but is actually just making things worse and running away from his problems much like how the mouthwash itself is meant to cleanse or "fix" your breath but since it has so much sugar is ineffective as a disinfectant and would only cause more cavities. Everyone then drinks it to escape having to think about the terrible situation they're in that's likely going to lead to their inevitable deaths. Which is the same mindset that Jimmy is under constantly running away from accepting responsibility for his actions.

I also feel like within the greater narrative it kinda shows the absurdity that they had wasted a year of their life and were about to die all in an effort to ship an item that is essentially worthless at being a mouthwash and yet the company cared more about it than them as shown by how even opening the compartment in an emergency situation causes a cut in their pay. It plays into the world building of how distopian their reality is.

[wheelchair lady]

Originally posted by Sardonicus:

To me the mouthwash represents the way that Jimmy keeps trying to "fix" everything but is actually just making things worse and running away from his problems much like how the mouthwash itself is meant to cleanse or "fix" your breath but since it has so much sugar is ineffective as a disinfectant and would only cause more cavities. Everyone then drinks it to escape having to think about the terrible situation they're in that's likely going to lead to their inevitable deaths. Which is the same mindset that Jimmy is under constantly running away from accepting responsibility for his actions.

I also feel like within the greater narrative it kinda shows the absurdity that they had wasted a year of their life and were about to die all in an effort to ship an item that is essentially worthless at being a mouthwash and yet the company cared more about it than them as shown by how even opening the compartment in an emergency situation causes a cut in their pay. It plays into the world building of how distopian their reality is.

Thanks man, I never actually thought of it like that
I feel like it can be interpreted in many different ways, but I like this interpretation a lot