Thanks for checking out the game!
The inventory is a bit abstract. Sometimes it represents actually possessing an item, while other times it's simply having knowledge of something that will enable additional choices later. For instance, you wouldn't know that you could go back for the fireplace poker if you never saw it. In the same sense, you don't actually have the parrot in your pocket. Hopefully that makes sense.
The text style was a purposeful choice to give a sense of unease, but we know it's not everyone's cup of tea. I've actually uploaded a rom hack here that replaces all the glyphs with ones that are easier to read, for those who would rather have that experience.