The protagonist of the game , a young man named Danny , suffer from chronic insomnia caused by worry , stress , and repressed memories . He is admitted to a mental institution for it , where he consult a mad scientist , Dr. Reubens , who treat Danny with his Cognitive Regression Utilizing pSychiatric Heuristics ( C.R.U.S.H. ) device , which have a sentient female persona . The device 's helmet places Danny under hypnosis , during which he can regain control of his sanity by collecting his lost marbles , and facing his primal fears in the form of monsters ( i.e. cockroaches , slugs ) . Danny start spilling 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 depend on Reubens for some serious help if he want to get rid of his insomnia . Later , when C.R.U.S.H. project the image of a bucket and shovel at the beach onto the helmet , he recall 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 jilted for a more handsome man . Devastated , Danny end up sitting on the pier crying , inadvertently falling into the ocean below , but eventually rescued . Reubens claim Danny 's rejection made him " shy away from the fairer sex " , and tell him to get some rest . The next day , Dr. Reubens tunes up his machine to " match [ Danny 's ] abnormally low cognitive frequency . " Danny recommend he give them some time alone , but the word " alone " have Reubens allude to the time Danny was heavily abused as a young boy at a local funfair by three thugs , however , Danny disclose that he ditched 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 use this evidence to come to a conclusion that homesickness is the cause of his insomnia , recommending that Danny move back into his parents ' house , but his conclusion is proved wrong when Danny return one more time . Dr. Reubens lash out at Danny for wearing out his machine , demanding that Danny fess up to where he " buried [ his ] pain " and if he is merely " toying " with them . Pushing the limit , Reubens subject Danny to regress all the way to his childhood , when he was only six years old , against Danny 's own will . Danny cries at the breaking point , dictating that Reubens stop " unlocking doors that should stay bolted , " but in the end , Danny mutter 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 discover that his childhood fear at that time , principally being afraid of the dark , are the real cause his insomnia , sending him " spiraling 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 nyctophobia , but tell Danny he 's cured . Right when Reubens begin to snap Danny out of hypnosis , C.R.U.S.H. , following suit in Reubens thoughts , go over the edge and seem to attack Danny 's mind , with Reubens panicking and Danny 's life on the line while the screen fades to black at the start of the attempt .