OVERLAY REPORT

In the 2023 film *Five Nights at Freddy's*, the plot is set in motion by a series of desperate professional and personal choices made by the protagonist, Mike Schmidt. The following specific actions move the story forward: ### 1. The Mall Incident (The Catalyst) The film begins with Mike working as a security guard at a shopping mall. Due to the unresolved trauma of seeing his younger brother, Garrett, kidnapped years earlier, Mike is hyper-vigilant. When he spots a man leading a young boy into a secluded area, Mike mistakes the man for a kidnapper and brutally assaults him. It is quickly revealed that the man was simply the boy’s father. Consequently, Mike is fired, leaving him unemployed and with a "violent" mark on his record. ### 2. The Custody Battle Mike’s financial instability triggers a conflict with his estranged Aunt Jane. She seeks to take custody of Mike’s younger sister, Abby, solely to claim the monthly government support payments that come with her care. Mike is told by his lawyer that if he cannot prove he is a stable provider with a steady job, he will lose Abby to Jane. This desperation is the primary motivation for his subsequent actions. ### 3. The Meeting with Steve Raglan Mike visits a career counselor named **Steve Raglan** (later revealed to be William Afton). Because of Mike's poor employment record, Raglan claims there is only one job available that no one else wants: an overnight security position at an abandoned, derelict 1980s family entertainment center called **Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza**. ### 4. Accepting the Job at Freddy's Initially, Mike refuses the job because the location is creepy and the pay is low. However, after returning home to find Abby’s childcare situation failing and Aunt Jane’s pressure mounting, he realizes he has no other choice. He returns to Raglan and accepts the position. ### 5. The Fatal Setup (Narrative Context) While Mike's actions start his personal journey, the film’s "horror" plot is set in motion by the death of the previous night guard. In the opening scene, a guard (credited as Bob) is captured by the animatronics and killed by a "torture mask" device. This establishes that the position Mike is filling is vacant because the previous occupant was murdered, and that "Steve Raglan" is intentionally sending Mike into a death trap. ### Summary of Triggers * **Mike’s Mistake:** Assaulting a father at the mall, leading to his job loss. * **Jane’s Greed:** Threatening custody of Abby, which forces Mike to find work immediately. * **Afton’s Deception:** Offering Mike the job at the pizzeria as a way to "clean up" the remaining Schmidt family members.