Bullies (GYLT)

The Bullies are the main antagonists behind the events that led to the main plot of the video game GYLT. They were both, the reason 7-year old Emily Kauffman ran away from home and went missing, and the ones who cornered Sally into taking the cable car towards her horrifying adventure.

History
The bullies are never seen on-screen, only their voices are heard and their sihouettes seen at the beginning. It is implied they were chasing Sally in their bikes, while she was fleeing in one. She had a big fall from a snowy forest road and her bike was damaged in the process; even then, the bullies were still mocking her and looking for her.

Following the orders of a mysterious old man she encountered, she took a gold ticket cable car to a twisted version of her town, Bethelwood. Whenever Emily does exchange dialogue with Sally she seems specially upset and disgusted at her because of an incident with the bullies: Before her disappearance, the lot of them ganged on Emily while Sally just stood there watching, the little girl was heartbroken that she could have come to her aid but didn't and even when she finds herself surrounded by monsters, Emily still feels reluctant about seeing her cousin. Emily began thinking of Sally as a monster, just like the ones wandering through town and just the sight of her coming close is enough to send the 7-year old girl running. Sally also mentions she stopped enjoying the arcade because of the bullies, it can be implied they got ahold of it and harrassed her there too.

Symbolism
While the bullies are definitely a plot device and are not on-screen for the most part, their actions have a strong presence through the entire game. The main characters are left to suffer the consequences of their bullying, and not so much the bullying itself. Sally and Emily are left to endure the hardships and conflicting emotions the bullies helped spark, which the story enhances through surrealism. This is most likely meant to be a call out to the act of bullying and its sequels, more than to specific bullies.