Family

*We each have our own demons. They are ours and ours alone...**This article is about The Dark Pictures Anthology's second installment,* ***Little Hope***
***.***

## Chapter Guide

**Family** is the official prologue of *Little Hope* and the second chapter overall.

The player controls Anthony (Theatrical Cut) and Tanya (Curator's Cut) as the Clarke family finds themselves in the midst of a tragic event.

## *Clarke Family Home, Massachusetts, 8:20 P.M.*

Megan stands in front of her parents' bedroom and overhears their argument. Anne is angry at James for being drunk and complains about Megan being held for four weeks after prayers. James ignores this and replies that Megan is fine, being more worried about the situation in the factory, which may be closed. At the end of the conversation, James gets angry and leaves, leaving Anne alone in the room. James goes down to the kitchen to get a beer from the fridge and goes to the living room.

* Theatrical Cut
* Curator's Cut

Anthony sits with his brother Dennis in the living room. Seeing the light outside the window, they realize that Tanya has returned. Dennis begins to say that he doesn't trust her boyfriend Vince and thinks that he is a member of the "new age" cult, while Anthony replies that he likes him. Megan sits in front of the TV while Dennis talks about his legendary vinyl record. James walks into the living room and switches the channel. Megan goes to her room, stepping on the record along the way, angering Dennis. Anthony can tell him not to be mad at her or that it was an accident, although Dennis will continue to blame Megan. They hear Tanya trying to open the door, and Anthony goes to help her.

Tanya arrives home with Vince in his car. She sees Anne standing by the window of her room and complains that she wants to get away from this place and her "wonderful family". Vince says that they aren't that bad, to which Tanya replies that he just didn't live with them. They agree to meet tomorrow, after which Tanya goes to the house. She is unable to open the door due to the ice covering the handle, but Anthony helps her and opens the door from the other side.

Tanya complains about the door and asks Anthony how things are going. They discuss James, his drinking and usual quarrel with Anne. Anne from upstairs rudely tells Dennis to take his record collection to the attic, to which an angry Dennis replies to show respect for the collection and before going up tells Anthony and Tanya that Anne was a marine sergeant in a past life. They briefly comment on Dennis's rudeness.

While Dennis is putting the records in the attic, balancing on the ladder, Megan comes up and tries to call him, but he ignores her, saying that he is busy. Megan leaves, after which the ladder begin to shake and Dennis yells at Megan, thinking that it was her. As Anne starts to draw water to take a bath, Megan suddenly appears behind her, frightening her. Megan mentions Anne's conversation with James about her, but she also ignores her, saying that she wants to take a bath and take a break from this madhouse, along the way, putting Megan out of the bathroom and closing the door behind her. As Megan begins to walk away, she looks at the key in her hand and back at the door, implying that she locked Anne inside.

Anthony and Tanya continue their conversation. Anthony says that Tanya should try to talk to her parents, but she refuses, arguing that she will only upset them. Anthony comments that they sounded more serious than usual and that they talked about Megan. Tanya can say that something is wrong with Megan or that she is annoying and Anthony comments that he does not understand why everyone picks on her. Anthony asks Tanya to check on Megan and she goes up to the second floor while he goes to the kitchen.

* Theatrical Cut
* Curator's Cut

Anthony walks into the kitchen, lights the stove and puts the kettle on. He then returns to the living room and sees James asleep. Anthony starts getting close to TV and has to perform Keep Calm segment.

* If Anthony completes it, he will take the remote and turn off the TV.

Regardless of whether he succeeds or fails, James wakes up and tells Anthony he cares about Megan, talking about the difficulty of raising a family like theirs. Anthony gets the opportunity to explore the house. He can:

* Try to open the front door.
* Try to open one of the doors in the kitchen.
* Find Megan's report card on the kitchen table. Anthony will be surprised that Megan has more problems than he thought.
* Find the books *Shroud of Innocence* and *The New England Witch Trials* in the lounge on the tables.
* Look out the window in the lounge from where he can see a tree with a tire swing.
* Go to the stairs and shout to Tanya if she found Megan. James tells them to be quiet and asks Anthony why he was yelling. Anthony talks about Tanya and Megan, after which James wishes him luck, as "Megan's a handful" before Anthony continues searching the house.

Tanya goes to the second floor and goes to check Megan. Along the way, she can:

* Call Anne in her bedroom but won't hear an answer.
* Talk to Dennis in the attic. He complains about Megan, who trampled on his records, to which Tanya jokes that she has better taste in music than him.
* Enter Dennis' and Anthony's room and find a Puritan figurine. Tanya will comment that she does not understand Anthony's passion for this.
* Enter her room and find her diary opened by someone.

Approaching Megan's room, Tanya hears her talking to someone and begins to eavesdrop. A Keep Calm segment will start.

* If Tanya fails Keep Calm segment, she stumbles while leaning against the door, ending the conversation early.
* If Tanya completes Keep Calm segment, she will hear Megan saying that her family is not listening and doesn't see her.

Entering the room, Tanya asks who Megan was talking to, to which she replies that the one who actually takes care of her. Suddenly, a crow crashes into the window and Tanya comes out to look at the balcony. Picking up the feather, she hears the door closing and realizes that Megan has locked her.
Tanya begins to call Anthony and he goes out into the yard. As soon as he leaves the kitchen, Megan appears, again talking to the unseen person. She says that it "could be right about her family" as she stares at the open flame, and notes that she thinks so too. The camera points to a dark lanky figure with a clawed hand behind her. While Anthony finds out from Tanya what happened, Megan places her doll too close to the stove, which causes it to catch fire.

When Anthony goes back to the house, he sees the doll falls to the floor, causing the fire to spread. He starts calling Megan and when she doesn't reply, he runs to Tanya and says that the kitchen is on fire. Anthony begins to run around the house, calling family members along the way: James is sleeping on the couch and coughing as the house burns around him, Dennis is stuck in the attic because of the fallen ladder, Anne is locked in the bathroom and tries to open the door as she starts banging it and scream for help. Not finding anyone, Anthony runs away from the house and Tanya calls him for help. Dennis gets out of the attic through the window, gets out on the roof and calls for Anthony, who tells him to get to the balcony as Tanya and Megan call for help.

Anthony runs to the front door and tries to open it, but fails and notices James and tries to wake him up by hitting the window. He takes a rock and breaks the glass, after which James wakes up. The family's situations are then shown again: Anne continues to call for help and begins to cough violently, unable to breathe; Dennis is still on the roof, trying to get to the balcony; James begins to crawl to the window while Megan is watching him. He calls for Anthony, after which some burning debris collapse and fall on him, crushing him in front of Anthony and Megan. Megan begins to run away as Anthony tells her to escape. Anne succumbs to the lack of oxygen and smoke inhalation, before falling dead.

The front door explodes and Anthony hears Megan screaming for help. Anthony can decide who to save: Megan or Tanya.

* If Anthony decides to save Megan, he will run into the burning house and attempt to save her, only to be be stopped by the flames. Megan will then burn to death and Anthony will run out of the house. Tanya will open the window and attempt to escape through the burning house, only to be caught in a backdraft and burn to death.
* If Anthony decides to save Tanya or does nothing, he will approach Tanya. Megan will burn to death. Tanya will ask Anthony what she should do.
	+ If Anthony tells Tanya to climb down the drainpipe, she will climb over the railing and start reaching for the pipe, but will slip on the ice and accidentally hang herself on her scarf, breaking her neck. Anthony will stare at Tanya's corpse in shock.
	+ If Anthony tells Tanya to through the window or says nothing, she will go to her parents' bedroom and approach the door, only for the door to burst open from a backdraft which burns her to death. Anthony will call out for Tanya.

In the Curator's Cut, Anthony will always decide to save Megan, leaving Tanya to choose on her own how to escape.

* If Tanya decides to climb down the drainpipe, she will climb over the railing and start reaching for the pipe, but will slip on the ice and accidentally hang herself on her scarf, breaking her neck.
* If Tanya decides to go through the window, she will go to her parents' bedroom and approach the door, only for the door to burst open from a backdraft which burns her to death.
* If Tanya does nothing, the fire bursts out of the window onto the balcony, where she will burn to death.

Dennis, still on the roof, slips on the ice and falls down, impaling onto the fence. Anthony falls to his knees and a neighbor runs up to the house. He sees matches in Anthony's hand and thinks that he started the fire. Anthony gets up and runs into the house to find Anne, after which the door is blocked by fallen debris.

## *Meeting The Curator*

After the intro, the player meets with The Curator, who welcomes him to his repository.

* If the player has save files in *Man of Medan*, the Curator will welcome them again and say that there is another story to tell, very different to the last one.
* If the player doesn't have save files in *Man of Medan*, the Curator will wonder if they have already met before, introducing himself and the repository.

He takes the "*Little Hope*" book from a shelf and informs that it story is unfinished and asks the player to complete it. The Curator will reassure the player, saying that they couldn't do anything about the fire and the Clarke family were guaranteed to die, after which he will say that they need to look to the future and begin to talk about decisions that affect the course of the game and the fate of the characters. He also notes that he cannot help the player as he should not interfere, but he is allowed to "share wise words from great storytellers that have gone before". Before letting go of the player, the Curator talks about pictures that can show possible futures. He reminds the player that it's time for them to go to the funeral and says to himself that he enjoys a good funeral.

* In the Curator's Cut, the Curator recognizes the player and welcomes them again. He then quotes William Shakespeare's *King John*, stating that a tale that's told for a second time carries a few surprises. However, the Curator says such is only true if the tale has been finished, claiming the story the player has started in this mode isn't fixed in the same parameters as before. The Curator then says a story can be very different when told from a different perspective, implying there are new possibilities for the player to explore. The rest of the interaction plays out the same as in the Theatrical Cut.

The funeral of the Clarke family in the cemetery is shown on a rainy day. While the priest is reading a prayer, the camera focuses on Tanya's grave and Vince holding his sun charm, after which the screen is illuminated by a flash of lightning.

## Deaths

### Inevitable

* James - Crushed by falling debris.
* Anne - Suffocation due to smoke inhalation.
* Megan - Incineration.
* Dennis - Impaled on fence spears.

Tanya

* If Anthony chose to save Tanya and told her to climb down the drainpipe, she will accidentally hang herself on her scarf. (Theatrical Cut)
* If Anthony chose to save Megan, chose to save Tanya and told her to go through the window, or chose to save Tanya but said nothing, she will burn to death. (Theatrical Cut)
* If Tanya decided to climb down the drainpipe, she will accidentally hang herself on her scarf. (Curator's Cut)
* If Tanya decided to go through the window or does nothing, she will burn to death. (Curator's Cut)

## Trivia

* Tanya's death by hanging was teased through *Man of Medan*'s gold picture.
	+ However, in the game itself, the scene of Tanya's death is slightly different - a shot with the scarf getting stuck on the pipe is added, Tanya's body is shown up to the torso, and a frightened Anthony is shown at the end.
* The default choices for non-controlled characters are:
	+ "*Dad's been drinking*", "*Dennis is being Dennis*", and "*Go check on her?*" for Anthony and "*What about?*" and "*I'm not surprised*" for Tanya, after Tanya enters the house.
	+ *Open Window* for Tanya if Anthony saves Megan or goes to Tanya and says nothing in Theatrical Cut.
	+ *Save Megan* for Anthony when the house is burning in Curator's Cut.
* The Curator doesn't appear in the background of this chapter since everything that happened in the chapter was Anthony's dream.
* Tanya's determinant cause of death directly affects Taylor and Tabitha.
	+ If Tanya was hanged, Tabitha will be strung up by the neck with a noose until death, Taylor's demon will be the Hanged Demon, and Taylor can get her neck snapped by its tongue.
	+ If Tanya was burned, Tabitha will be burned at a stake, Taylor's demon will be the Burned Demon, and Taylor can be burned or get her spine broken by it.
* Anthony can look outside and see a tire swing with stars painted on it in the backyard. Later at the execution site, Taylor comes across one from her childhood with the same stars. Similarly, a book about the New England witch trials appears on a table and can later be found in the museum.
* While it appears that Megan was responsible for locking up family members and starting the fire, this is actually unlikely, as the key that Megan used to lock Anne in the bathroom is later found in the grandfather clock, which doesn't make sense as Megan wouldn't put the key back in the clock during a fire. It is possible that all the deaths were an accident and Anthony's dream of the incident is inaccurate.