I am actually the most interested in learning more about this game's Eric...
Character Data for Gage and Dave...
NOTE: Edited, because I forgot ERIC, and Pasted MAX's info instead. 
Dave: [BB's Eric]
- He is a realtor agent, working for a big private firm. (Remote branch on the island. Where million-dollar homes are the majority of houses here.)
- He is a party-man. (Drugs, alcohol, gambling, girls and parties.)
- He is smart and highly motivated, but more for selfish reasons. (He will go out of his way to get anything he needs, but won't lift a finger to help others, unless it is a gain for himself.)
- He ONCE had a LOT of money, but foolishly wasted it. Thinking that the funds were going to continue. He honestly believed, they were the result of his hard work and scams. He was just lucky in a rising housing market. (He was never actually "rich", but on that border-line.)
- He, when hard times hit, and his spending habits didn't change... He began doing more shady things to sustain the illusion of "being rich". (Helping setup drug-deals, using connections for laundering and stealing things. He has always been someone's bitch. The middle-man...)
- He, on these days, in the beginning of the story, has nearly reached a point of desperation. His flat-out thievery and crimes, are stacking-up to the point of collapse. (Not to mention his debts that are nearing "collections" deadlines.)
- He, in denial still, thinks he is "gods gift to women". (Throw money around, and everyone is your friend. Stop throwing it and they go away. He is running out of money, again.)
- His "exchange students", are not typical individuals. Both are there, for reasons, and he is trying to ensure that they don't leave. The money follows them, and that is almost all the money he has left. (Some relations are to the things above.)
Gage: [BB's Max] {"You", the protagonist}
- Telling his/your story, currently, to a stranger on an airplane. (He is leaving the island, to "get away", from ???)
- Previously fostered by Mira and Dave. (Fostered since he was 10. A poor decision for "documented income", from the state.)
- Always joking around and sarcastic. (Self-satisfied and self-entertained.)
- Over-shadowed by the "traffic" of exchange students, over the years. (They were an undocumented source of income.)
- Graduated on-time. (Smarter than average, but not well applied.)
- Joined the army at 17. (To escape Dave's bullshit. Left the island.)
- Discharged from the army at 18. (Prank on a "Senior Commanding Officer", had truth to it.)
- On house-arrest, at this point. (For his "Civil crimes", part of the prank "details". Back home, on the island.)
- xxxxx (not saying more past this point, as they would be spoilers)
You play Gage, creating the story that he is telling to the stranger on the plane. By the end of the game/story... You will find-out what madness you are getting away from, so you can clear your head. (Obviously, that depends on the paths you take.)
Though that is the "Main story"... There are various other stories within the game. Managed as "do or not", side-quests. They help you get to your endings, even if you don't do them, when presented. Not doing them, is still doing them. Like the old saying, "Choosing to do nothing, is still making a choice."
This will not be a "grind"... Though it will have a few, unavoidable, repeatable actions. The point of the game is to use the environment to create a story, not have it dictate the story for you. Progression, where you participate, is 100% unavoidable. You have to learn to crawl, then walk, then run, before you can learn how to pole-vault...
On a similar note, this will have things like "Money" and "Income", but it is less about the "Quantity", and more about "what is being done to earn it, and how it is being done". Cheating, giving yourself millions of dollars, should not advance the story, and break it. However, it would help you get to each next part, potentially faster, if you would normally have less funds and needed to purchase something to advance.
That is where you may find some repeating "grind" elements. Though that will not be a normal thing to do. Like sleeping, it just happens, when it is time to do it. However, like sleeping, you can manually do it too, for more potential gains.
