* …

During the genocide route, there are several instances where red text is used. One of them is the infamous ellipsis that is displayed when checking out the family photograph.

As with most text in the game, there is affordance for multiple interpretations of this silence. Perhaps it shows Chara cares about the Dreemurrs and may even regret their actions towards them. On the other hand, the silence may suggest that Chara no longer cares about their adoptive family, to the point where they have nothing to say. Based on Chara’s treatment of the Dreemurrs, the evidence seems to support that Chara’s silence is not a sign of caring, but rather of silent fury.

Keep in mind that this theory focuses on Chara in the genocide route because this “…” text only appears for the photo in the genocide route.

Toriel

During Toriel’s fight, the following text is given by Chara if the ACT “Talk” is selected.

This is how Chara feels about Toriel. Toriel isn’t worth Chara’s words. Worse, Chara instantly kills Toriel with one strike, rather than needing to wait for a betrayal kill. The reason as to how Chara can kill a boss monster like Toriel in one hit at the very start of the battle is stated by the victim herself.



Monsters are susceptible to ill intentions. The stronger the hatred or intent to kill, the more damage is inflicted upon the monster. This is supported by the text in one of the library’s books.

This damage is different from a betrayal kill because a betrayal kill can only be committed when Toriel’s emotional defenses are down. However, with the immediate genocide kill, Toriel still has her defense and guard up. She is dedicated to her cause of fighting the human to keep them in the Ruins. Yet Chara’s hatred easily outstrips Toriel’s defenses and kills her in a single hit.

So how can one be sure these are Chara’s feelings and not Frisk’s?

Just prior to Toriel’s battle, Chara identifies themself in the mirror. This is proof that the ill intent belongs to Chara.

Asgore

A popular quote that relates to both Chara and Asgore is the “Still has that sweater” line, which can be interpreted as a sign of either fondness or annoyance. However, considering the tone of the other red text in New Home, it’s more likely that Chara states this observation as mere fact.

Upon meeting Asgore, Chara does not hesitate to start the fight, interrupting Asgore while he is talking. There is no Mercy option presented in this fight, and this time it is not Asgore’s doing. Since the Mercy button is not destroyed by Asgore, is not removed by the player, and Frisk has not shown recent signs of influence, it is presumably removed by the only other entity on the battlefield: Chara. Chara then strikes Asgore before the fight properly starts. This is a one hit kill.

Asgore may not have instantly died, but none of the bosses die right away. They are always able to hold on for their final words. It’s also clear that Asgore’s HP bar is fully depleted by Chara’s attack.



As previously stated, this means Chara has a strong intent to kill and – as implied by Toriel’s final words – is fueled by hatred.

Flowey/Asriel

When Flowey realizes that Frisk is actually Chara, he tries to help them. At the end of the Ruins, Flowey does not even flinch at the indiscriminate murder and encourages Chara to continue the genocide route. Flowey believes that Chara would be wiling to cooperate with his new plan “to become all powerful,” which is similar to Chara’s failed plan from ages ago.

Later Flowey acknowledges that the plan to be all powerful includes Chara as well:

FLOWEY:

Chara…

I think if you’re around…

Just living in the surface world doesn’t seem so bad.

We don’t even need to leave to get them this time.

The king has six of them locked away.

This is why Flowey solves all the puzzles for Chara. He is useful to Chara, making Chara’s journey through the underground faster and easier. Despite this, at the end of the genocide route, Chara disposes of Flowey without giving a choice to the player. Flowey has outlived his usefulness. Not even a plea using Asriel’s face and voice stops Chara. Even worse, Chara slashes Flowey repeatedly, without pause. Chara has been able to kill each boss in one strike, so multiple strikes are unnecessary. Why is this kill so vicious then? It’s likely because Chara kills him out of vengeance for his betrayals.

Asriel’s first betrayal happened when he stopped Chara from using “our full power” against the humans on the surface. This lead to both of their deaths. Later in New Home, Flowey makes a wrong move and mentions how both he and Chara are capable of killing each other if necessary.

Chara’s response is one that instills fear in him.



FLOWEY:

…what’s this…

… feeling?

Why am I… Shaking?

Whether the dread is triggered from Chara’s expression or a dawning realization, Flowey feels genuine fear, something he is not used to experiencing.



FLOWEY:

…

Hey… Chara…

No hard feelings about back then, right?

…

H-Hey, what are you doing!?

B… back off!!

Though Flowey does not describe Chara’s behavior in detail, it’s implied here that Chara advances toward Flowey in a threatening way. When Chara doesn’t back off, Flowey switches tactics and tries to call off their plan.

FLOWEY:

I… I’ve changed my mind about all this.

This isn’t a good idea anymore.

Y-you should go back, Chara.

This place is fine the way it is!

…

S-s-stop making that creepy face!

Finally, Chara breaks into their creepy face, which must be one with a smile or laughter considering Flowey insists the situation “isn’t funny” and that Chara has a “SICK sense of humor!” This response from Chara shows how little regard they hold for Flowey’s dread and that Chara is actually amused by Flowey’s fear of being murdered by them.



Flowey goes on to then betray Chara again. This time, he warns Asgore of Chara’s arrival, likely in the hopes that Asgore will absorb the human souls and destroy Chara before Chara has a chance to kill the two of them. Of course, this betrayal backfires: instead of fighting, Asgore tells Chara that Flowey warned him.

Lastly, when Chara is ready to finish off Asgore, Flowey appears and betrays Chara one last time. He destroys both Asgore and the soul, eliminating Chara’s option to pass through the barrier and get to the surface in this route. (While there’s some indication that Chara does not want a boss monster soul, having the choice eliminated probably is not appreciated.)

These betrayals likely influence Chara’s brutal slaying of Flowey. Regardless of the reason for their hatred, Chara shows no mercy or compassion for their old best friend, while they silently and viciously cut them down.

Is Chara Corrupted?

It seems unlikely that Chara is corrupted for the following reasons:

Chara takes control as soon as twenty kills are made in the Ruins to clear out the area, then and only then. Killing twenty in any other area or in total over multiple areas will not change the narration to Chara’s first person narrative because it’s their choice to take control .



. Chara guides the player in the genocide route. The player and Chara are partners, though later Chara states the player was never "THE ONE IN CONTROL.”



If Chara is corrupted as soon as the genocide route begins, then it’s very unlikely that they would feel any remorse upon seeing the family photograph at the end of the route anyway.

Did Chara ever love the Dreemurrs?

It’s possible Chara loved and cared for the Dreemurrs during their lifetime. However, if they did love the Dreemurrs, that love did not stop Chara from trying to coerce Asriel into helping them kill six humans. Furthermore, it appears that being betrayed by Asriel on the surface had a profound and lasting impact on Chara to the point that monsters are now seen by Chara as “the enemy.”

If the genocide route is played after a neutral route (as it was probably intended), then there would be even more reason for Chara to feel betrayed by all the Dreemurrs.

Toriel

Perhaps from Chara’s perspective, Toriel has been replacing Chara and Asriel with other children. Toriel even tries to force Frisk to stay with her. (This is a sentiment that is expressed by Flowey.)

Asgore

While Asgore may have kept Chara’s possessions, Asgore fails to mention his second child when he talks about his son, Asriel.

He does mention Chara in alternative dialogue, but not as his child – only as "the human that fell here long ago.” In a similar manner to how Toriel seemingly replaces her lost children, Asgore seems to replace Chara with Frisk as the new hope for the underground.



Asriel

Asriel confesses to Frisk that Chara wasn’t as great as he originally thought and that Frisk is the type of friend he had always wanted.

In these excerpts from the game, each Dreemurr appear to have moved on from Chara’s passing. While this is healthy, this isn’t something a dead child may understand. Chara’s love for the Dreemurrs would actually be even more reason for Chara to feel hurt when they see how their family has replaced them and moved on.

Conclusion

From the very start of the genocide route, Chara does not see Toriel as someone worth talking to. They kill her in one hit, the attack fueled by hatred. They instill fear into Flowey in New Home at the mention of something Chara may have considered betrayal. They then kill Asgore and Flowey out of their own choice, even after visiting their old home.

Given Chara’s behavior before and after seeing the photo, it seems likely that their silence is due to apathy (it’s not worthy of comment) or fury (over the perceived betrayal). After all, Chara never uses dialogue to directly state their anger or hatred. Instead of using words, Chara expresses their feelings through actions, including killing the Dreemurrs and terrorizing Flowey. Therefore, the absence of comment for the photograph seems to be a case of Chara feeling strong negative emotions that they do not want to talk about. Instead, they express their feelings through their actions.

Ultimately, the ellipsis prompted by the family photograph is up to interpretation. Based on it’s exclusivity to the genocide route and the events that surround it, the silence supports the genocide narrative of Chara losing their compassion towards the Dreemurrs.

