i think a lot of character criticisms are missing a focal point of narrative structure when it comes to stories like Pathologic, which is: only the player is omniscient. the player. not the character you are playing as. the player. and that if you play the game as intended,

you only gain this information in hindsight. even if you try to keep that information in mind on other playthroughs, you can't really change things, because you are controlling a character who does not have the same information you do, and never will. i think attempts to

criticize Daniil (bc he usually gets most of it) based on information he as a character is incapable of obtaining is missing the point, not just of this story in particular, but of the concept of tragedy as a whole. modern interpretations if tragedy fail at the

catharsis factor, and i think part of the reason why is because they care too much about the element of surprise and spoilers. if you think about a work like Othello or even Romeo & Juliet, a large part of the tragedy comes not from the deaths of characters,

but from the fact that the audience can see all aspects of the story. the characters can't, and no amount of criticism can change that.

there are things Daniil says that are rude, of course, but from his perspective, he was sent to a town on what turned out to be

false hope of saving his life's work and his own actual life from persecution by an old colleague who he can't even talk to bc both he and his proof are gone by the time he arrives. so he's trapped in a strange town with no one he can rely on, that is woefully

unprepared for a massive outbreak, he is the only doctor, there are no hospitals or morgues, the only other healer is hiding, the government expects him to deal with an outbreak of a sickness he's never seen before and knows nothing about completely singlehandedly,

about halfway in the other healer fucks off and leaves him completely alone, the only other healer in town is a herbalist he has no consistent contact with who he had to break out of prison bc he might be a serial killer, all three ruling families

are refusing to do anything to help him, everyone in town - and i do mean everyone, including other healers - want him to run their errands, he barely has time or resources to take care of everyone, everyone's idea of how to fix what's going on boils down to killing women,

there is no scientific backing to what is happening or how to cure it - which is what the government wants, near the middle of the game everyone starts to act outright hostile to you and blame you for everything happening, and regardless of what you choose here:

you are going to die. the government didn't like you to begin with and they're not the least bit impressed with your efforts to meet their impossible standards, and they're planning on **lling the other two people they sent when you all return to the capital. any

other information the PLAYER has, is kept to the player alone. DANIIL only knows so much. you can't expect him to act or work based on information he doesn't and never will have. what he says or does based on your assessment of facts he doesn't even have access to,

doesn't "reveal" anything at all about him as a character. interestingly, though, it reveals a hell of a lot about you as a player, an analyist, and a person.