Who is Dwayne? (SPOILER)

[Claudio83[ITA]]

After completing both finals, i have an idea about our MC.
Dwayne is a scientist that work for the government, the lab is located under the basement, well hidden from the inhabitants of the house.
Dwayne and other few people (scientists) in this lab are testing drugs and hypnosis (the hypnosis is made with radio and TV) on the residents, the final aim is try to control the people (MK-Ultra project or something similar) during the Cold War.
For this work Dwayne earns well, his wife obviously doesn't know of his work because it is a secret project.
The 3 people used for these experiments (Lucy, Dolores, Rakan) die and the project is closed, Dwayne in 1985 moves into the house with his family (probably buyed with a great discount for his services) for to live the rest of his life there with them, but Dwayne has a great sense of guilt for have killed indirecly these people with their experiments, although ordered by his employer (the government).
He is devastated from the remorse and the guilt, so starts to being drunk and to take drugs and medicinals for try to forget, but his only result is to isolate himself from the world and from his family.
At a certain point his wife threaten him to leave the house with his children, but Dwayne cannot bear this loss and in an extreme gesture he kills his family and after kills himself (the starting scene of the game).
Now he is in the Purgatory and is a ghost, he will have to relive all the sufferings of the inhabitants of the house caused by him, and only at the end of this travel he will be able to reunite with his family in the afterlife (the Paradise i suppose) - GOOD ENDING.
If instead he does not want to face his faults and search an easy solution (a cowardly solution, obtained almost immediately in the game) shooting himself in the head for 7 times, Dwayne will not atone for his sins and he will wander for the eternity in an endless well - BAD ENDING.
There is some object and scene that i don't understand his meaning, such as the mask, the apple, the well and the house in the daylight on the good ending.
Another thing that i don't have understood is the presence of the city's aqueduct... where is named a person called Lewis, also named breifly by Rose in the comic: maybe the drugs were somministrated by the water conducts that arrive in the house (and also in Rose's house, she in the comic drinks a glass of water, and after some years she goes crazy and kills her husband)?
Maybe you have understood these meanings? What do you thinks regarding my idea about Dwayne?

[Racists]

What do you say about because of the game being made on the basis of a "realistic" world - so no dystopian influences for example - that the government wouldn't conduct experiments on unknowing people?
Or do you think that because Rakan is already controlled by something that likely originates from the government, that that would open up the possibility (lore-wise) of the government doing that?

[Claudio83[ITA]]

Originally posted by travajo:

What do you say about because of the game being made on the basis of a "realistic" world - so no dystopian influences for example - that the government wouldn't conduct experiments on unknowing people?
Or do you think that because Rakan is already controlled by something that likely originates from the government, that that would open up the possibility (lore-wise) of the government doing that?

Rakan suffers of Scopophobia (the fear of being observed), and thanks of this condition he goes near to the truth... indeed after his return from the hospital, a man in suit (from the government, he have all house's keys obviously) close him in the basement, making Rakan die of starving and thirst, because him have discovered them (he have found also some micro-cam in the bookshelf, so he suspected something).
Also in the comic when the cops goes to Rose after Lucy's death, behind the policeman there is a man in suit, he is from the government (CIA, FBI or something similar) because the government is involved.

[sergantuss]

yea i see full playthtow on twitch and look like all what you told is right. still the chapter 2 is kinda strange. Like in chapter one he run for the old crazy lady to give her baby back. In chapter 3 he run frome the Rakka guy that was killed only cuz he uncover what kind of experiments there was(im kinda think that it was not experiment. They just ♥♥♥♥♥♥ up the local water somehow.
But in chapter two you run not frome the girls that was possesed. You run frome the spirit that she was possed(this invisible monster) and she kinda trying to help you sometime.
but still the main point of story is right :D and im surprised that he can meat with his family in good ending after what he done

[Dennilson]

I wasn't thinking that all the chapters are directly connected to Dwayne's myself. I think Rakan's definitely is for the reasons you stated (secret MKUltra-like experiments being done on him etc) but not Lucy and Dolores. Rakan's link is confirmed when you hear him shout, "f**k you Dwayne" over the speaker when you're walking the corridors of the hospital. Also, I do not believe Rakan ever lived in the house either. He was experimented on in secret in the hospital but not directly under the house. The trapdoor you jump down to that lab just served as a portal to that section of the past like many other areas of the house do. The gas leak in that lab suggested something went horribly wrong with the experiments and poor Rakan suffered the consequences. Dwayne was the shady doctor using him as a guinea pig here and Rakan knew what was being done to him but also went mad after the affects of the "nerve gas" (or whatever it may have been) altered him and that then got him moved to the psychiatric ward. Dwayne eventually locked him up permanently in isolation after realising there was no way to help Rakan recover to ensure the secret never got out. It likely wasn't long before he died of starvation after that. His spirit now haunts Dwayne as does Dwayne's severe guilt. Dwayne must face up to what he did to Rakan before he can pass on.

Lucy and Dolores are a bit different because they are incidents that happened in the house at different points in the past. You as Dwayne's ghost are now condemned to walk amongst these other restless spirits of the house. The game is challenging you to put them all to rest before you're considered worthy of doing it to your own (or Dwayne's). You experience the truth of what happened to each character by facing up to it all and experiencing what they did. The ghosts of Dolores, Lucy and Rakan can all pass on afterwards. Once you've done that for them, Dwayne himself can pass on into the afterlife and in doing so, exorcises the house of its hauntings once and for all.

For the mask part I'm not sure either. Nothing obvious sticks out for me but here is a loose theory:

I think it could symbolise Dwayne "wearing" his actions as a sort of way to show that he's finally owning up to them and accepting the monster he became. He's fully aware of what he did now and knows that it was evil and wrong but when he passes on, he has to bare that forever after because it can never be undone. He isn't quite redeemed but by owning his past and helping the other spirits, he has at least done enough to reach an afterlife where he can be reunited with his family. The catch is that he has to wear that mask of a monster permanently as a constant reminder of his mortal crimes. By not facing up to it and trying to take the easy way out using the revolver over and over again, Dwayne is condemned to the void as you say. There can be no way towards the light and his soul is lost forever to the darkness.

Not sure if that all fits together neatly but its an early thought I had. I only just finished the game yesterday so might do a second run through to see if there is anything key things I missed.

[Racists]

Originally posted by Dennilson:

I wasn't thinking that all the chapters are directly connected to Dwayne's myself. I think Rakan's definitely is for the reasons you stated (secret MKUltra-like experiments being done on him etc) but not Lucy and Dolores. Rakan's link is confirmed when you hear him shout, "f**k you Dwayne" over the speaker when you're walking the corridors of the hospital. Also, I do not believe Rakan ever lived in the house either. He was experimented on in secret in the hospital but not directly under the house. The trapdoor you jump down to that lab just served as a portal to that section of the past like many other areas of the house do. The gas leak in that lab suggested something went horribly wrong with the experiments and poor Rakan suffered the consequences. Dwayne was the shady doctor using him as a guinea pig here and Rakan knew what was being done to him but also went mad after the affects of the "nerve gas" (or whatever it may have been) altered him and that then got him moved to the psychiatric ward. Dwayne eventually locked him up permanently in isolation after realising there was no way to help Rakan recover to ensure the secret never got out. It likely wasn't long before he died of starvation after that. His spirit now haunts Dwayne as does Dwayne's severe guilt. Dwayne must face up to what he did to Rakan before he can pass on.

Lucy and Dolores are a bit different because they are incidents that happened in the house at different points in the past. You as Dwayne's ghost are now condemned to walk amongst these other restless spirits of the house. The game is challenging you to put them all to rest before you're considered worthy of doing it to your own (or Dwayne's). You experience the truth of what happened to each character by facing up to it all and experiencing what they did. The ghosts of Dolores, Lucy and Rakan can all pass on afterwards. Once you've done that for them, Dwayne himself can pass on into the afterlife and in doing so, exorcises the house of its hauntings once and for all.

For the mask part I'm not sure either. Nothing obvious sticks out for me but here is a loose theory:

I think it could symbolise Dwayne "wearing" his actions as a sort of way to show that he's finally owning up to them and accepting the monster he became. He's fully aware of what he did now and knows that it was evil and wrong but when he passes on, he has to bare that forever after because it can never be undone. He isn't quite redeemed but by owning his past and helping the other spirits, he has at least done enough to reach an afterlife where he can be reunited with his family. The catch is that he has to wear that mask of a monster permanently as a constant reminder of his mortal crimes. By not facing up to it and trying to take the easy way out using the revolver over and over again, Dwayne is condemned to the void as you say. There can be no way towards the light and his soul is lost forever to the darkness.

Not sure if that all fits together neatly but its an early thought I had. I only just finished the game yesterday so might do a second run through to see if there is anything key things I missed.

I just had a thought: Every chapter features some sort of transmitting device (Lucy: the monster comes out of the TV; Dolores: The baby phone; Rakan: The radio (if I remember correctly); and the mirror mask/tar monster chapter is only about Wayne himself, so there's no need for a device that could influence him). So, from that it could be inferred that there is a "Government connection".