'The Demons We Hide' is a tragic tale of good people getting punished for doing the right things, only able to find a slight respite before they ultimately suffer their fate. In terms of expressing the 'a light in the dark', this story aims to craft a scenario where the 'dark' is so overwhelming and impossible to escape from, that the 'light' is but a flicker of joy before being completely snuffed out. The visual novel presents an interesting art style for the sprites which helps it stand out, and there's a choice system that allows the reader to speed run falling in love with the wolf.
The story itself is the standard medieval fare of knights, kings and peasants, but with a mystical twist of a curse that causes people to go berserk. Though this curse seems to be willfully ignored by most people in the story, instead being chalked up to the person just deciding to become a traitor even with the knowledge that traitors get executed. I think there's a bit of a logic gap there that could be better explained in a 'once you're cursed, you're a danger and need to be put down for the safety of everyone else', but then I imagine it wouldn't make sense to hold an execution spectacle on the chopping block, so I can understand the awkwardness of trying to make this plot work. Maybe the main character had a realization that he had become a danger, and wanted to willingly die for the safety of his king. But, they want him to stay alive cause he's a good knight, then the wolf wants to find a different way, might've been an angle to approach it with.
I don't want to say that the interaction between the main character and the wolf is rushed, because they don't get very far in their relationship, but much like the tropes of the 'my wolf' genre, the wolf does seem to fall for the main character with no friction or prior knowledge before he shows up. The slice-of-life activities of cleaning and cooking in the small cabin are cute. I like that there's a deeper world lore, like how the king only has servants and knights of have white fur, which paints a really oppressive atmosphere for anyone not of royalty. Maybe some kind of social commentary?
There's an element of the demon or curse, that seems to speak to the main character. Acting as a pseudo-narrator, telling the main character what do to, criticizing their choices, and foreshadowing the future. It never really gets explained, nor does it seem to add much to the plot. I'd figure that following or not following the voice might lead to different endings, but the choices only seem to indicate whether the wolf says 'I love you', before you both get your heads chopped off. Maybe giving more relevance to this voice might've been an interesting angle that explored 'good and evil', but the story is a bit too short to do that effectively.
I think this story is one that's reads well, but it doesn't seem to a strong view point. The message I gleam from this is something like 'life sucks even if you do the right things, enjoy what little things you can', which is a depressing thought, but it is a view point, so I would hope that it leans more into it with the dialog and the way the characters act. Have the main character lament his unlucky fate, have him wallow in despair, so that when the wolf comes along to try and save him, the tragedy hits harder when it's all futile. Overall, strong initial effort, especially for a first time VN, don't be afraid to make bolder choices in the plot and characterization, and try to keep your view point in mind when mapping out the story.