A couple other people have answered this one, but I'll add another note: do something that passes some time right after you make the change. Like, make the change in your bedroom, and then immediately move out to the hall or something.
It seems like returning from the stats screens is what I think Twine calls "rewinding," which is like moving backwards in a linear story. That reverts the variables.
For the record, yes I do feel compelled to explain things that other people have already explained.
Also, I think you are clearly intended to be at a combat disadvantage compared to everyone else. For instance, the only really effective tactic to escape combat is to scream for help and be heard--the game more or less tells you that. I think gamers might get used to thinking that the "don't go out at night" warnings in RPGs don't apply to PCs, but this is a game where I think those warnings are not supposed to be ignored. I almost wouldn't even call the game's combat "combat"--it's more of a rape-resistance simulation. I don't think you are intended to be able to effectively fight off all or possibly most opponents.
Second, I wish there was some better guidance as to what is and is not in the game. It's the kind of game where stuff happens TO you, rather than you going out and doing stuff, so it's understandable that some content is kinda tough to trigger. Some of the text for interactions with NPCs is suggestive, but it's unclear if there currently is content with an NPC or if it's something that will come in a future version, or whatever. Should I go grind stats and keep trying to interact with NPCs in the hopes that I'll meet some obscure requirement, or am I throwing things at the wall and hoping something sticks? Open world games are really great, but being a passive-PC game so early in development it's a little tough to know what a person can and can't do yet. I always appreciate these early-version games expressly saying "this is the end of content for this character" or "interactions with this person will be in a future version." I guess that does pretty badly compromise the exploration nature of a game like this, but as I've said in other places before I'm old and impatient and only tolerate exploration as long as I think there's something to find. Especially when the exploration is punctuated by drawn-out random battles and the constant need to visit the store replace my clothing. Maybe the pace of this game is just slower than I'd like.
