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red guy symbolizes autism.

[i myself have autism so i can point out a lot more with him than other characters]

visibly different from others [larger and taller]

seemingly emotionless but lashes out when things don’t go his way [no one can tell when he’s happy because his mouth is hidden and his voice is monotone]

tries multiple times to fit into different environments [work, family] but is told he is doing it ‘wrong’

repetitive behaviors [i vividly remember him rocking back and forth during an exciting moment but I don’t remember what episode]

easily agitated by loud noises/bright lights [actually enjoys it when the electricity goes down]

low social awareness

would rather be alone [attempting to get away from duck and yellow many times]

difficulty maintaining relationships [does not see duck or yellow as his friends although duck insists they are close]

literal thinker

duck guy symbolizes OCPD

rigidity [shown in his fascination with military]

list making [visual inventory]

stubborn and is insistent on everything going his way and is therefore always in conflict because no one can see what he does

is very upset when order is displaced, even if minor

obsession over certain objects [shredder]

yellow guy symbolizes inattentive ADHD

forgetfulness [must have reminders]

sometimes nonsensical rambling

easily persuaded

everything requires mental energy [says that thinking hurts]

struggles to learn new information [cannot accept death]

the batteries symbolize medication. yellow guy has ‘faulty’ batteries and then they are replaced with ‘better’ ones. he sees red and duck’s routines are laughable now and tries to understand neurotypical people [big boys, bigger boys, maybe even lesley] but either sees them as rudimentary, excessively cruel or emotionless, or too complex.

some other plot points

red guy tries to ‘escape’ mental illness by driving but it catches up to him [the episodes always end up back where they started, which red understands]

the show is childlike maybe because mentally ill people are seen as children or lesser than those who are not. multiple people in the show attempt to give them nonsensical advice with too many/absurd rules to try and ‘help’ them but instead just distress them [neurotypical social standards don’t often make sense for NDs.]

twins + family are the 3’s view of a NT family and their habits/roles disturb them greatly since they’ve never experienced such a thing

^^ there’s more to add to this list but i cant think right now^^

WAIT HOLD ON I JUST HAD A RELEVATION

ok obviously we the viewer are seeing the threes’ story from an outside perspective, shown by multiple breakings of the fourth wall BUT NEVER ON PURPOSE because these characters [only in the beginning] are not even aware that they are mentally ill! they just accept the fact that these terrible things are happening to them and believe that its normal!

red guy first realized this when he left the house to find a job. no one saw things the way he did.

duck guy first realized this when he picked up the phone [red guy trying to get through to him over these terrible hallucinations]

yellow guy first realized later when he met leslie.

but in the end… they just go back to how everything was? yellow guy shreds the book he was given and im not sure what that may mean yet…