"We Happy Few" Character - Percy Hastings [No Spoilers]

Post Reply New Topic

Anyone else have the feeling that Percy Hastings, main protagonist Arthur's older brother, was autistic?

I first noticed the possibility in the first episode of one of my favorite youtuber's let's plays of the game when Arthur had a flashback of Percy lying to a schoolteacher to protect his younger brother, and giving us the sense that it was difficult for him to lie. The way he spoke in the flashback really led me to believe that he had Asperger's.

In the second episode, I noticed that when Percy left on a train for Germany, Arthur was trying to go with him, but due to age restrictions could not. Understandably he was upset, but he also told the transit authority "He can't take care of himself!" That was another clue that in spite of the fact that he was Arthur's older brother, Percy was taken care of by him, which indicates some sort of disability. But because of the prior flashbacks from the first episode where he seems, for all intents and purposes, well-developed in speech/cognition, yet something like taking care of himself is much harder, it really seems to solidify him being autistic in my mind.

Personally, if this were the case, I'd be a little disappointed with the developers of the video game - Percy would be a modern-day Rainman in this instance. I know being independent is difficult for a lot of autistic people, and it's even been difficult for me, but that doesn't mean the de facto portrayal of autistic people should be that they need their younger brothers to take care of them* (or, obviously, a parent or some sort of guardian).

What do you guys think? For those of you who have watched a let's play or played the game for yourself, is Percy autistic? If so, how does the portrayal make you feel? Just as I've tried not to spoil too much, try to keep spoilers to a minimum as well.

*Although I haven't really gotten into any media that portray independent, self-sufficient autistic people, I'd like to add a disclaimer that I'm aware there probably are some that portray autistic people as such. I suspect the criminal investigation series starring Diane Kruger, which Alex Plank actually worked on, is a good example, as well as "The Good Doctor." Again, though, I've watched neither of these.