Contents
Part One — Chapter Five
Overview
Theo attends Community, where Professor Diomedes publicly welcomes him. Theo spots Alicia, heavily sedated and diminished, intensifying his determination to help her. A volatile patient, Elif, disrupts the session, prompting Theo and Indira to redirect the group into a discussion about anger. Theo commits internally to making Alicia his patient.
Summary
Theo arrives at the Grove’s Community meeting, a hybrid of administration and group therapy led by Professor Diomedes. He surveys the mixed circle of staff and female patients, noting Christian and Indira, and searches for Alicia.
Theo finally recognizes Alicia opposite him, so sedated she spills tea and drools, with tremors and visible wrist scars. Shocked by her deterioration, Theo’s attention is pulled back as Diomedes invites him to introduce himself.
A sudden disruption follows: Elif storms in, hurling a broken pool cue and demanding it be replaced. After Christian’s jab about Theo’s lateness, Theo acknowledges boundaries yet uses the moment to pivot the group toward discussing anger. Elif sits, and Theo and Indira co-lead a productive dialogue, while Diomedes quietly appraises Theo’s handling.
Throughout, Theo keeps glancing at Alicia, who briefly seems to focus on him through the haze. Confronted with how lost Alicia appears, Theo’s doubts vanish; he resolves to stop at nothing to make Alicia his patient and try to bring her back.
Who Appears
- Theo FaberNew psychotherapist; introduced at Community, manages a disruption, and resolves to treat Alicia.
- Professor DiomedesHead psychiatrist; hosts Community, theatrically welcomes Theo, monitors and tests his responses.
- Alicia BerensonSilent patient; appears heavily sedated, frail, and distant, briefly looking toward Theo.
- ElifVolatile patient; bursts in with a broken pool cue, sparking a discussion on anger.
- IndiraTherapist; collaborates with Theo to steer the group into discussing anger.
- ChristianPsychiatrist; makes a sarcastic remark about Theo’s lateness during the disruption.