Friedrich Bauer's entire life has been a series of misfortunes. He's had two houses burn down, once as a child and once as a young man, leaving him to start over with nothing but the clothes on his back. He stopped gardening at 20 because his plants inevitably died. He insists that he can sometimes see things, lurking in the shadows just outside of vision. Gremlins, sent to ruin anything he touches. Despite this, he's always doubled down and just worked harder, determined to take care of his family.
He worked for years as a kohler in the Black Forest, before the things in the shadows finally broke him. In an attempt to truly start over, in a new place where old misfortunes couldn't find him, he took the family to the United States. After an accident at a saw mill cost him a finger, he decided that they hadn't gone far enough.
In Purgatory Bluff, he works as a miner. He still worries about the things in the shadows, but no severe misfortunes have befallen the family since settling there. Gisela brings in enough money to allow him to miss a few work days when he's not doing well.