The bare wire is called the ground wire. A neutral wire helps to complete this loop by bringing current electricity backto the power supply completing the circuit and keeping the power on.

Neutral Wire Facts And Mythology Ee Times
What is a neutral wire. What is a neutral wire. Neutral wires are usually connected at a neutral bus within panelboards or switchboards and are bonded to earth ground at either the electrical service entrance or at transformers within the system. The grounded electrode conductor. The neutral prong is the wider of the two plugs. In an electrical circuit a neutral wire delivers the remaining power that was left after your smart switch or any kind of appliance draws current back to the transformer outside your house. The neutral wire is connected to an earth ground.
The neutral wire in electronics is the wire in which electricity returns from the hot wire. Like the neutral wire the ground wire is also connected to an earth ground. However the neutral and ground wires serve two distinct purposes. It is a path created to facilitate that residual current goes easily back to the energy company. The neutral is an insulated wire because it is part of the circuit which flows electrical current. In a three prong plug the neutral wire is connected through the right handed prong when one is looking at the plug with the ground prong on the bottom.
The neutral wire the purpose of the neutral wire is to complete the 120volt ac circuit by providing the path back to the electrical panel where the neutral wire is connected and bonded to the earth ground. Thats the main purpose of a neutral wire to serve as a pathway for energy to return back to the original source. It is also connected to the ground wire.