Our Little Secret

 is an unmarked quest in Fallout 3.

First off, you have to find your way to Andale, which is in the middle-bottom of the map, directly south of Fairfax Ruins. When you arrive, the people will act as if their lives are perfect and there is no "wasteland" and there was no Great War. After looking around a bit, find your way to Old Man Harris' house. He will tell you to run away as fast as possible and reveal that there's something very evil going on in the town. After finishing the quest, (depending on how you resolve it) he may reveal more about the history and story of Andale.

There is no reward for this quest other than some karma for killing the cannibals and some loot from the buildings.

Uncovering the Mystery
After talking to Harris head to the abandoned shack or the basement of the Smith household. There are a number of ways to gain entry into the basement or the shack:
 * Both doors require 100 lockpick skill (Picking either lock will give you negative karma.)
 * It is possible to get the keys by pickpocketing the male adults. (Bill Wilson or Jack Smith).
 * Also when entering the Wilson house during the night when the Wilsons are sleeping you can find the key to the abandoned shack lying on a table in the corner just outside the kitchen or on the table beside the bed. Or occasionally it is located atop the functional radio. Stealing the key does give a karma loss.

Upon proceeding into the area, the player can look around and discover that "Strange Meat" really is- humans. Oddly, you'll still receive a karma loss for stealing the rippers and knives and such you'll find lying around, as if you're stealing any other things.

Confrontation
Upon exiting the area, the player will be confronted by the residents of the town, with the exceptions of Junior,  Jenny, and Old man Harris. Jack Smith will engage the player in conversation and ask if he/she saw anything unusual.

There are two speech checks in the dialogue tree. One of the speech check option is telling them that you are "getting a snack." You will always pass this speech check if you have the Cannibal perk. If you choose to play coy by not answering straight, you will get a different speech check by telling them "Everyone does what they have to." This speech check is easier than the former. If you are successful at either speech check, in essence insisting that you did not see anything wrong and agrees to keep their secret, the townsfolk will be kind to the player you will be able to receive a free Strange Meat Pie daily from Linda Smith.

On the other hand, if the player refuses to keep the secret, the residents will become hostile and attack. After the fight, the player can proceed to Old Man Harris' house. He will then tell more of the town's history and will agree to help raise the kids right. He states that only after his wife died did he begin to question all the things that went on in Andale ... and also that not only was it a town of cannibals, but a town of inbred cannibals.

The encounter with the two families is an easy fight. If you are skilled in melee and need a weapon, the Rippers in the shed or basement make excellent weapons as they work as an automatic cutter. They may have a boost of health, but they have low armor. The two men of the families will carry guns, as the women seem to use melee weapons that might range from a knife to their fist. It would be smart to kill the fathers, as the mothers are not efficient with melee weapons. An alternative choice is to plant Frag or Bottlecap mines prior to entering the shack, effectively killing the residents (and injuring yourself) upon exiting the shack. After the fight, proceed to the grandfather to wrap up the quest.

Bugs

 * If you nonviolently resolve the confrontation without using the "getting a snack" line, by saying that you went down/in, and saw bodies, but don't care, the four parents will stand with their weapons drawn outside of either the shed or the house with a basement, forever, and the kids will disappear, and Old Man Harris' house is key-locked.


 * Some players arrived at Andale and the families were already gathered in front of the Smith house with their weapons drawn. Mr Smith confronts the player as if he/she has already been in the basement. Since the player cannot lie (pretend he wasn't in the basement) his way out of this conversation, he will have to admit that, he was in the basement even if he was not.


 * Killing the families without entering either the basement or shack beforehand causes Harris to lock his door and no positive karma is given.


 * I inspected the basement, met the four adults outside, and then passed the second speech check and ended the conversation peacefully - but then Charon immediately attacked the two couples. I joined in, but recieved no positive karma for the kills.  (Perhaps he really didn't like what he heard?)


 * The corpses in the basement when resurrected using the console are apparently from Little Lamplight, and MAY walk there. They keep saying things like "Wow! You're big!" And "Mungo Mungo smells like Dung-o..."


 * If you are detected pickpocketing at night in one house, the parents will attack you without dialogue. You will then be attacked by the other family outside if you inspect the basement or shack after exiting.  Killing the parents results in no karma loss, and the quest will continue as if you had confronted them first, even though you will not get the option for dialogue.  The kids will move in with Old Man Harris' and you can get the background story from him, it will not be locked.