Abby and Lev. The relationship that begins here is the game's structural counterargument to itself — Ellie had Joel, and Joel's presence made her capable of things she would not otherwise have been capable of, and that capacity destroyed him. Abby has Lev now, a child who needs protecting, and the game is going to ask whether the same dynamic produces the same result or whether something can be different this time.

The pulling continues because stopping is not available. Both women in this game are past the point where they can choose not to continue. The pieces lost are not recoverable. What matters is what they do with what remains, which is the question the game is building toward and will not answer cleanly.