The largest piece of narrative in Potato Please is not a cutscene. It is a letter from a boy named Pavel to his father, the man peeling potatoes. The replies you send decide Pavel’s loyalty, and his loyalty decides whether the game’s rarest ending is still available when you reach the train.
The letter, as shown
Dear Papa,
It has been almost a month since I came here. I still cannot say I like the dormitory. There are eight of us in the room; when one starts snoring at night the others wake up too. How quiet it was at home.
The teacher collects the letters on Fridays. I waited for yours, but I suppose you have not found the time to write yet. Do they work you very hard at the depot?
They took our photographs for school; I kept one for you. They cut my hair short again. I do not look much like myself in it, but you will know me.
Could you send a little pocket money? I need a notebook and soap. If you cannot, that is all right too. Has your cough passed?
Pavel Letter visible in the official Steam store screenshot for Potato Please (2026).
How letters work
The letter is a physical object in the world. The interface shows E to send and F to put it away, with an “Easy read” toggle on F for the handwriting. Letters are not menu pop-ups; you stop work to read them.
- You can put a letter away without answering it. The game does not force a reply.
- Sending is deliberate and shows a cost, which is why replies can include money.
- Pavel’s requests are financial: pocket money for a notebook and soap. Players report that unreported or unanswered letters reduce income, so replies are part of the economy, not just flavour.
- The letter is dated by its content (“almost a month since I came here”), which places the story after a separation, not at its beginning.
The loyalty score
The community guide describes Pavel’s loyalty as a running score. Each reply counts toward one side: the Ministry (−1) or the Resistance (+1). If the total is above zero at the end, Pavel joins the Resistance. If it stays below zero, he remains loyal to the state.
| Choice | Effect on the score | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Send money when Pavel asks | Ministry | Also keeps the household economy honest; players report unanswered letters hurt income |
| “Director’s Questions”: tell what you know | Ministry | Named in the guide as the reliable choice |
| Report a Resistance note from a potato | Ministry | At most one. Two or more and Pavel is taken hostage |
| Hide a Resistance note | Resistance | The safe default for the loyalist route |
| Put the poison on the carrots | Ministry | Counts as another reported note; pour it out or use the cucumbers |
| Report the people of Varenka | Ministry | Blocks the loyalist route |
| Send potatoes to Varenka | — | Unlocks A Heart of Gold; the guide treats it as safe |
Score weights and choices are from the jxselee Steam guide (5 November 2026); the developer has not published them.
Reading the letter
- “Do they work you very hard at the depot?” Pavel knows his father works at a depot. The yard is that depot, or attached to it. The absurd job is framed as a real job with a family waiting on the other side of it.
- “Could you send a little pocket money?” The father is not powerless. He has something to give, even if it is small. The reply system turns the automation fantasy into a domestic decision.
- “Has your cough passed?” The father is unwell. The game never shows it directly; it arrives in a child’s postscript. It is the most efficient characterisation in the game.
For the mechanical consequence of all this — the three levers and the missable fourth ending — read the endings page.