Why the MC doesn't react?? (SPOILERS, BEWARE)

[Anezka de Astora]

I already completed the game (end credits too), and there's something that seems weird:

After Sayori's death, everytime something creepy or weird happens, the MC doesn't react or doesn't talk, like... at all. There's even a moment in the game when he just STOPS talking.
He does react when Sayori dies, he's sad, feels guilty and asks to himself WHY that happened. But after that, he stops reacting. Like when Yuri stabs herself, he doesn't say a single thing, and spends the entire weekend there JUST LOOKING.
Another example: When Monika tells you that Yuri likes to cut herself, or when she tells you that Natsuki has problems at her house the MC doesn't say anything when he should be surprised about it!

What do you guys think about this?

[Delthea]

I call it "Idiot Protagonist Syndrome". It's a common theme in every visual novel. A writer couldn't possible predict how every person would react in every scenario.

maybe he is talking? maybe he's thinking? Maybe he's hallucinating? Who knows what those black blobs are.

Maybe Sayori's death broke him for good and all? Maybe the glitched out stuff screwed with him, too? Who knows?

[宇宙战舰梦④FC帕萨罗娜]

Bro, just keep going , finish this ♥♥♥♥ , you will know the answer

[HypetheKomodo]

Think of your standard VN protagonist. What does he (usually) think about?

Your standard VN protagonist isn't ready to think about serious issues like depression. My favorite detail is how uneasy the protagonist seems as things go along, and he speaks less and less, until he's entirely silent.

He just wanted to hook up with a lady. He's certainly not mentally equipped to deal with all these other issues.

[Lordsofeverythin]

It's the broken script, he is not capable of reacting ot most of it.
Ex: When Yuri stabbed herself. It's why Monika talks about not knowing the script was broken so badly.

[Goust]

Because he was not programmed to respond to events that weren't supposed to happen. He's just a vessel for the player.

[sodapone]

I've heard two theories on this...

1. Monika is tampering with the main character's code as well, so that he speaks less and less for himself, thus getting more direct input from you during big decisions (which is what she wants).

2. He is fully aware of what's going on, but it's an absolute ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ for him to see the game's events from the player's eyes; he's just been completely mentally broken from the experience, and is utterly speechless when it comes to any of these bizarre events. Alternatively, though again assuming he's seeing this from the player's perspective, he says nothing because he realizes that he's at the mercy of the player controlling him through this hellscape, and that he'd probably get in the way (like with his really stupid decisions on dealing with Sayori).

[Xeratek]

My take is that the MC sees everything as normal and carries on. Like when the black text shows up or the glitches happen. I think Monika made that stuff only appear for us The Player. (or spectator)

or Monika just deleted the MCs script or something and just made him a walking camera for you.

[Your Neighbour]

He's probably got those permanent enlarged pupil with a catatonic face after Monika revealed the Primordial Truth to him. The power of the warp is not what mere mortals can handle.

One does not simply stare into the warp.

[DDR]

At a point, the game transitions from treating the player as the MC in the game to 'you', sitting at your computer, instead.

[100% lob juice]

During act 2 the game's script is "breaking", meaning that the MC gradually becomes less expressive to the point where he effectively stops existing After Yuri commits suicide

[PG]

I figured it was like it stopped being about the protag character and started being about the player instead, like what DDR said.