The Hole’s Story and Endings, Explained

Based on the developer’s grandfather (Bober Bros) The hole is a horribly dark story about abuse, resentment and trauma.

A trigger warning is given at the start of The hole. He is well aware that the story can stay with you for a while. The depiction of abuse in this short indie horror game hides some truly grotesque and unique images that become sickening if you stare at them for too long. Similar to Mouthwash And Bad parenting, The hole makes you wish you’d never participated or observed its content, but many aren’t lucky enough to escape the very real and harmful experiences these horror games depict.

Here’s a look at Bober Bros The hole.

Warning for spoilers and themes of abuse, rape and suicide.

(Bober Bros) The Hole Plot, Summary

The hole follows an unnamed protagonist who spends his days isolated, drinking beer and watching TV. His apartment slowly fills with empty beer cans that engulf his couch, bathtub, toilet and refrigerator. Living solely on beer and cereal, our protagonist is stuck on the fourth floor of this apartment complex. The neighbor is loud and unpleasant, but you take no real action against him. You know something is wrong next door, but all you can do is look through the holes in the wall or go about your business.

You have a constant feeling of falling as you look out the kitchen window, seeing the building next to you continually rising. Trapped in a surreal and repetitive life, you quickly learn that our anonymous protagonist is far from perfect. His voyeuristic tendencies hide his dark secret, where peeking behind stained walls reveals a past he desperately wants to forget. Just like the story of Mouthwashwe realize that we were the bad guys all along.

Full plot synopsis of The Hole

The apartment in which our character resides is in a dreamlike realm, where reality has long since left him. Due to his monstrous actions, our character has an out-of-body experience, witnessing his actions from an outside perspective. All we see are memories and all we can do is observe voyeuristically through the many peepholes that appear in his apartment. Naked strangers appear at his door and disappear when you open it, giving us a haunting appearance of what we can only assume is an image of himself.

More and more holes appear over time. The past is desperate to show itself to the protagonist. He begs you to look inside, but he won’t. Scared to see who his neighbor really is, he tries to hide from his past by blocking the holes with black tape, as if each hole was a mouth trying to scream. What is on the other side or what will look at him if he is caught peeking?

The peepholes reveal what happened to our protagonist’s wife and Agatha (who we see throughout the game). The woman is nameless and faceless, a hated memory of our character, who blames her for her actions. We also learn that our protagonist’s father was also abusive and humiliated him from a young age to “teach him a lesson.”

The final at The hole is the internal conversation of a villain who continues to play the role of the victim once he realizes that he is haunted by his past. Realizing that the neighbor was himself after all, he excuses his actions and blames his wife for being the reason he was pushed to the edge.

Believing he had saved them from the strict hand of his father, he attacked his family with an axe, killing his wife and daughter. The footage we see implies he hid their bodies by putting them in a suitcase.

Although it’s rather ambiguous, I think his voyeuristic behavior alludes to how the character viewed his daughter. Looking at her skirt, hitting her and performing explicit acts shown through visual euphemisms is what we are shown when we look into each hole. We’re also not allowed to walk away from the hole, and one of the hardest moments to listen to is the baby crying in the toilet. If it’s not Agatha, could the crying baby be hers instead?

(Bober Bros) Hole Endings, Explained

Our protagonist is seen in front of the mirror, face twisted and desperate for the torment to end. Armed, he points a gun (off-screen) to his head and we are invited to shoot. Choosing to shoot gives you ending Bbut time immediately rewinds, forcing you to wait for the “shoot” prompt. Refusing to film originally or getting that flashback sends you to the A ending.

Too afraid to commit suicide, he asks for forgiveness several times. This refers to his self-projection as a “coward”, a description his “neighbor” gave him.

The final scene demonstrates the twisted relationship between father and daughter. Presented in the form of Russian dolls, the role passes to Agatha, where we continually bring the protagonist her beer so that we can then “play”. The imagery used for Russian dolls shows us the peeling off of layers – or in this case – clothing. Agatha grows smaller and smaller with each passing day, her body battered and bruised until the innermost doll is revealed. The final doll is small and young, showing how small Agatha is.

The game ends with a message to players and those who have fought against abuse. The hole forces us to look at the monster through the lens of an observer, and not as the one committing these evil acts. He tells us not to forget the victims and, for those who suffer, not to remain silent and never blame ourselves for the actions of others.

---