ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Darger family

Okay kiddo, let me tell you about the Darger family. Imagine that there was a man named Henry Darger who lived a long time ago, and he was very shy and kept to himself a lot. He didn't talk to many people, and he didn't have any close friends or family.

One day, after Henry died, people found out that he had a big secret - he had been working on a very special project for most of his life. He had created an entire world in his head with lots of characters and stories. He even made a giant book with pictures and words all about this world, which he called "The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion."

Now, this book was not just any ordinary book. It had over 15,145 pages! To put that in perspective, it would be like reading 30 to 40 regular books. And that's not even the craziest part. Henry also created tons of beautiful illustrations to go with the book. He drew all of the characters, the landscapes, and even the wars that took place in his world.

Henry's story and art was so amazing that people started to learn more about him and his life. They found out that he lived a very difficult and lonely life. He was an orphan and he didn't have any close family or friends to talk to, so he made up his own friends and worlds in his head.

That's what makes the Darger family so special - it's not just about one person, but it's about the amazing creation that he made. It's like a secret world that only he knew about, and now we get to explore it and enjoy it too.