Previous
Ruth
Professor Diomedes is the head of psychology at the Grove, which means he also acts as supervisor to Theo, Christian, Indira, and Yuri. Diomedes is known for his slightly unconventional embrace of group therapy, a costly approach that puts the Grove in constant danger of being shut down. Diomedes often finds himself at odds with the Grove’s manager Stephanie, but for the most part, he acts as a peacekeeper between the various therapists and patients at the ward. He is an especially important mentor to Theo: he encourages him to embrace his cigarette-smoking (“we’re all a little bit crazy”), and also cautions Theo against confusing his own feelings with Alicia’s. Because Diomedes is Greek, Theo turns to him for help with interpreting the Greek tragedy Alcestis.
Lazarus Diomedes Quotes in The Silent Patient
The The Silent Patient quotes below are all either spoken by Lazarus Diomedes or refer to Lazarus Diomedes. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 2, Chapter 2
Quotes
[Diomedes] pulled out a little box from his desk, sliding off the cover to reveal a row of cigars. He offered me one. I shook my head.
“You don’t smoke?” He seemed surprised. “You look like a smoker to me.”
“No, no. Only the occasional cigarette—just now and then…I’m trying to quit.”
“Good, good for you.” He opened the window. “You know that joke, about why you can’t be a therapist and smoke? Because it means you’re still fucked up.” He laughed and popped one of the cigars into his mouth. “I think we’re all a bit crazy in this place. You know that sign they used to have in offices? ‘You don’t need to be mad to work here, but it helps’?”
Diomedes laughed again. He lit the cigar and puffed on it, blowing the smoke outside. I watched him enviously.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Silent Patient LitChart as a printable PDF.
Lazarus Diomedes Quotes in The Silent Patient
The The Silent Patient quotes below are all either spoken by Lazarus Diomedes or refer to Lazarus Diomedes. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 2, Chapter 2
Quotes
[Diomedes] pulled out a little box from his desk, sliding off the cover to reveal a row of cigars. He offered me one. I shook my head.
“You don’t smoke?” He seemed surprised. “You look like a smoker to me.”
“No, no. Only the occasional cigarette—just now and then…I’m trying to quit.”
“Good, good for you.” He opened the window. “You know that joke, about why you can’t be a therapist and smoke? Because it means you’re still fucked up.” He laughed and popped one of the cigars into his mouth. “I think we’re all a bit crazy in this place. You know that sign they used to have in offices? ‘You don’t need to be mad to work here, but it helps’?”
Diomedes laughed again. He lit the cigar and puffed on it, blowing the smoke outside. I watched him enviously.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
