The family photo. Characters from left to right are the mother-in-law, the wife, the son, the inspector himself, and the uncle. It is dated to 1980.
A family photo in the short film adaptation.
At the end of day 29, if the inspector's wife is still alive, she finds a family photo, and gives it to the inspector. He brings it to work the next day where he can hang it on the wall of the booth. The photo is also shown at the beginning of the cutscenes of endings 16 and 18.
The photo is the only depiction of the inspector's family and the inspector himself shown in the entire game.
A similar item is also shown several times in Papers, Please – The Short Film.
Gameplay
The fifth entrant on day 30 will comment on the photo if it is hung on the wall. However, having the photo on the wall during the inspection by the M.O.A. supervisor at the beginning of the same day will lead to a fine or can end the game (ending 11) if the supervisor has already seen an unauthorized item (i.e. the son's drawing or the pennant).