Glad you enjoyed our game!
The characters (and the rooms) on the right are there for few reasons: to show [1] which level you are currently on, [2] how far you are to the end of the game, [3] how far you are to boss room(s), [4] how many lives you have left (by showing how close is the cop (we do have hearts ui for clearer information on this)).
We wanted to have a visual and narrative way to show these information, instead of just a progress bar or anything equivalent, to get that immersion into the fantasy!<3