 The protagonist of the game , a young man named Danny , suffers from chronic insomnia caused by worry , stress , and <unk> memories . He is admitted to a mental institution for it , where he <unk> a mad scientist , Dr. Reubens , who treats Danny with his <unk> <unk> <unk> <unk> <unk> ( C.R.U.S.H. ) device , which has a sentient female persona . The device 's helmet places Danny under hypnosis , during which he can regain control of his <unk> by collecting his lost marbles , and facing his <unk> fears in the form of monsters ( i.e. cockroaches , slugs ) . Danny starts <unk> the beans to Reubens about his city life ; moving into his first apartment and his suffering job as a chef ( because " the ladies love a man who can cook " ) . He heavily depends on Reubens for some serious help if he wants to get rid of his insomnia . Later , when C.R.U.S.H. projects the image of a bucket and shovel at the beach onto the helmet , he recalls his love life some few years ago with a girl named Tina Ash ( who Reubens mistakenly thought was Danny 's mother ) . Returning the next summer , Danny is <unk> for a more handsome man . <unk> , Danny ends up sitting on the pier crying , inadvertently falling into the ocean below , but eventually rescued . Reubens claims Danny 's rejection made him " shy away from the <unk> sex " , and tells him to get some rest . The next day , Dr. Reubens tunes up his machine to " match [ Danny 's ] abnormally low cognitive frequency . " Danny recommends he give them some time alone , but the word " alone " has Reubens allude to the time Danny was heavily abused as a young boy at a local funfair by three thugs , however , Danny <unk> that he <unk> his parents to go to the funfair alone , but they find and rescue him . He then promised his parents that he 'd " stay with them forever . " Dr. Reubens uses this evidence to come to a conclusion that <unk> is the cause of his insomnia , recommending that Danny moves back into his parents ' house , but his conclusion is proved wrong when Danny returns one more time . Dr. Reubens lashes out at Danny for wearing out his machine , demanding that Danny <unk> up to where he " buried [ his ] pain " and if he is merely " <unk> " with them . <unk> the limit , Reubens subjects Danny to <unk> all the way to his childhood , when he was only six years old , against Danny 's own will . Danny cries at the breaking point , <unk> that Reubens stop " unlocking doors that should stay <unk> , " but in the end , Danny <unk> the words , " Come back , " implying that his parents went out on a date and left him at his house alone , with disturbing shadows of the night leaving Danny in psychological trauma . Danny discovers that his childhood fears at that time , principally being afraid of the dark , are the real cause his insomnia , sending him " <unk> back into [ his ] six @-@ year @-@ old self . " Reubens is full of disgust that his treatment was a complete waste and that Danny ruined his machine due to his <unk> , but tells Danny he 's cured . Right when Reubens begins to snap Danny out of hypnosis , C.R.U.S.H. , following suit in Reubens thoughts , goes over the edge and seems to attack Danny 's mind , with Reubens <unk> and Danny 's life on the line while the screen fades to black at the start of the attempt . 
