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For much of season 5 of the popular Netflix show, Holly Wheeler and Max are held captive inside a mental fortress forged from the memories of Henry Creel. The search for a way out in the pivotal sixth episode has them experience a life-altering moment from Henry's early years—a moment that potentially carries the means to overcome him permanently.

Spoiler Warning: This discussion contains major spoilers for the concluding episodes.

A Journey Into the Tunnel

When she finds Max in the psychic realm known as Camazotz, it becomes clear she is taking refuge in a chamber that Henry avoids at all costs. By leaving the lens cap on a viewing device taken from Henry's old home lets Holly see that the source of fear lies outside of the cave. When she lines up her view with the shape, she and Max suddenly fall into a deep mine shaft.

There, they witness a child version of Henry come across an man who is hurt and scared. Attempting assistance, the man reacts violently, hitting him in the hand. In a desperate act of self-defense, Henry kills the man with a rock. "Is this what corrupted him?" Holly wonders aloud. It was a factor, but the event involved more than a fight for life.

In keeping with mysteries in volume 2, the full story behind the mine shaft incident was first explored the theatrical production the prequel play.

A Naval Mystery and Secret Science

This backstory explains the 1943 event, which allegedly sent a warship into a dimension known as the Abyss. It faced creatures, and the lone returnee was the captain, who emerged in a unresponsive state with an altered blood type.

This man's son, the future Dr. Brenner, wanted to repeat this dimensional breach in remote Nevada. But a disloyal lab worker took experimental components to give to the Soviets, who were keen to start their own interdimensional projects. That traitor in the cavern was that very thief.

The Briefcase's Contents

Given what is known about his research, the case almost certainly contained samples of the altered blood. In the scene, Henry is bleeding from his hand. He likely becomes contaminated upon handling the contents, causing the development of his psychic abilities—abilities he would later pass on to the children in Hawkins Lab.

Another possibility, the container could have held strange particles that later made its way to the secret facility, where it maintains the stability of the mirror dimension. The prequel shows that Henry ended up in the Abyss, reappearing after half a day fundamentally changed. As a youth, he struggles with the whispers of a dark entity, much like how the character Will was controlled by the entity in an earlier season.

The Power of Fear

Henry's enduring terror linked to that memory shows how utterly horrifying the event was for him. While he commands the army of monsters and attempts to pull the Abyss into Hawkins, a piece of the scared boy still exists. The villain weaponizes terror, and the series is building toward a climactic battle between the monster and Will, who has overcome his greatest terrors to fortify himself.

His confrontation has neutralized a key tactic of Vecna. More importantly, Will now knows what his enemy truly fears, and this may grant a key upper hand in the ultimate battle that awaits.