The unnamed Artist (Name: Abraham, Born: January 16, 1886 - Died: 1925) is the main character of Layers of Fear, controlled by the player. He is married to the Wife and father of the Baby, both of whom are also never named in the game.
Newspaper clippings and letters always have his real name scratched out, presumably by himself.
During the game, he suffers from visual and auditory hallucinations akin to severe schizophrenia, portrayed in diverse and macabre ways.
History
He was a very well received upcoming artist who fell in love with a talented musician. They got married, moved into the house in which the game takes place and eventually had a child. For a while, they lived happily.
Everything took a turn for the worse however, when his wife was caught in a fire on a departament store. She was partially disfigured in the event, and lost the ability to play instruments.
This accident devasted them both, but the Artist became increasingly obsessed in "trying to fix" his wife. Soon enough, he turned into an alcoholic and would lock himself in his studio for days, neglecting both his wife and daughter.
With his sanity rapdily wasting away, he could no longer paint like before. His works were not well received by the critics anymore, and he would take his frustrations out on his family.
Tired of the hell her marriage had become, his wife ended up taking her own life, and his daughter was taken by social services.
By the begining of the game, he wanders the house trying to finish his Magnum Opus.
Fate
In the Neutral Ending, he fails at creating his Magnum Opus and to acknowledge his own madness. After discarding the painting in a room full of them, he goes back to his studio to begin it all over again.
In the Selfish Ending, he paints a self-portrait. Again, he fails to acknowledge his madness, preferring to believe that all of the suffering he went through was necessary for him to achieve true perfection in his art.
In the Selfless Ending, he paints his wife and daughter. He finally realizes it has all been for nothing, and that the painting will not bring his family back. Full of regret, he brings his last work to a room full of his wife's portraits and sets fire on them, dying on the process.
Trivia
The Artist was involved in some unknown accident resulting in him wearing a prosthetic leg.
The Artist may suffer from late-onset schizophrenia, yet he believes that it is his wife who suffers from
the condition.