Charley Mansfield is a character found in Strange Neighbors and referenced in The Wretched.
Appearance
Charley is an overweight middle-aged man and fits the general description of a freeloader. He wears a tank top that is covered with a few yellow stains and he is always seen wearing his socks. One has a hole in the front, and he seems to be balding.
Personality
Upon first meeting him, Charley acts arrogant and threatening, but later is friendly and sometimes a bit rude. He has an obsession with his collectibles, and always checks to make sure Sal doesn't touch them.
Biography
Prior to the arrival of Sal Fisher, Charley was possibly involved with the local cult that was making an effort to bring a demon into the physical plane and even served as the deity's host to butcher Mrs. Sanderson likely out of spite for her interference in the cult's plans. Why Charley stole the Glitter Pony other than to complete his collection remains unclear (there is a possibility that Red-Eyes was tying up loose ends and the "cops" that appeared at the apartments were just disposing of the fat man and capturing a patsy that would later be proven innocent).
Charley first meets Sal when he knocks on his door while introducing himself to his neighbors. Charley allows Sal to come inside, and Charley immediately starts telling Sal about his collection, boasting of the challenges he underwent to complete his set of Glitter Ponies.
When Sal learned from Larry Johnson the deeds Mansfield committed, he offers Charley a cup of tea spiked with laxatives from the restroom of room 504.
Charley eagerly ingested the "new recipe" of Addison Tea only to be torn away from his chair to the restrooms, allowing Sal to snatch his rare, blood-soaked, Glitter Pony that he pilfered from Sandy. Charley is hauled away and placed under arrest by the local "officers", however, an imposter is incarcerated in his place thanks to the cult's influence in the community.
Amidst Sal's dream a few months after the incident, Charley appears, chastising Sal and sharing his knowledge about stealing his prized toy, declaring that he thought them to be friends. The Dream Charley sheds his skin to reveal the Red-Eyed Demon had been using him from the start.
Trivia
- Portable Moose stated on his site that even though Charley has a large collection of "glitter ponies" he isn't based off the Brony fanbase.
- He has shown to have a fondness for Addison tea to the point it could be called an unhealthy addiction.
- In chapter two, the image of Charley is shown in the police database that was filed the day he was arrested, but the person in the image doesn't even remotely resemble Charley. However, it was revealed that this person is just a patsy while the real Charley's fate is unknown, as seen in The Trial.
- He is also seen in Episode 2 during a dream sequence. During the dream sequence, Sal is walking down a long warped hallway when they reach the end. They see a version of Charley with a zipper on his face. He will claim that he knows Sal touched his pony, then he will cry blood and the zipper will open revealing the demon inside. This sequence scares Sal awake at the end of the cutscene.
- Chronologically, Charley was the fourth official host for Red-Eyes, the first three being, Evelyn, a female Cultist and Luke Holmes respectively and the fifth being Todd.
- Charley’s full name; Charley Mansfield, crime, and possible involvement with the cult, makes him similar to Charles Manson, a notorious murderer and cult leader who died in prison due to respiratory failure.
- There is a possibility that Charley himself was never involved with the cult, rather it was his patsy that was the cultist, and there are three points to support said possibility:
- Since Charley was infected by Red Eyes, the cult would want to keep him under constant watch and observation (regardless if he was a member or not) due to their worship of the demon, and a loyal cultist would be willing to take Mansfield's place if he knew he would eventually be released.
- If Charley was genuinely a member of the Devourers of God, then he would have been in uniform like Herman Sanderson was prior to leaving Sandy.
- The Peering Eyes' dialogue in Sal's dream heavily implies them to be Charley. If this is the case, then Charley never knew Red Eyes would use him to kill Mrs. Sanderson.
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