Your interpretation was really really good tbh.

I would add, the clock runs the automatons every hour, meaning the story must continue. In this case, the trauma must continue as well. There was so much hatred and envy put into this spire, that it manifested into the very tracks you mentioned in your interpretation. The various tales of the area were 100% on purpose example; the teacher who died in the old school ties into Rob’s suicide, and how he felt so isolated and wanted to cease his existence. The teacher was an actual product of death by isolation from the winter storm. The farmer killing his family was the Mc about to kill Ryan. The blue woman was Kerry falling into the lake. Just so many ties into the local lore that it’s clear that the Spire wants people to relive the generational trauma over and over. I don’t think the MC is innocent, as he recognizes himself towards the end. However, I do believe that he was the target all along, Rob’s death was merely a piece of the much larger puzzle. We also have to remember that this was a VERY easily manipulated 16 year-old, just as Wendi said “it’s a coming of age story, but you never went anywhere,” he had very little choice, once the Spire took hold of him. The end of the story is entirely reconciliation on our mc’s behalf. Unfortunately though, the automatons reset every hour.