Agatha shows Walter the box from the institute that has his name on it. Inside, Walter sees the sources he used to write the book, and he begins having flashes of repressed memories. In room 23 of the hotel in the book, Walter finds the missing final chapter of the book scribbled under the wallpaper. Long ago, he was obsessed with the 23 enigma because it drove his father to suicide. He was also involved with Laura Tollins, but she left him for Flinch, resulting in him stabbing her to death. After Flinch is sent to prison for the murder, Walter wrote the book in the room as an elaborate suicide note, changing the details of his confession into a deranged fantasy. Walter then jumped off the balcony, but he survived. The resulting brain damage left him with amnesia, and he was sent to the institute to recover, and met Agatha after being released. Dr. Leary, one of Walter's doctors, read the book and became obsessed with the number, eventually publishing the book under the name Topsy Kretts.
