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Part 4, Chapter 9
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Silent Patient, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Empathy, Identification, and Boundaries
Tragedy and Destiny
Honesty vs. Deception
Childhood Trauma
Silence vs. “The Talking Cure”
Summary
Analysis
Theo tells Diomedes about his accomplishment: Alicia has finally spoken. Shocked and gratified, Diomedes wants to put Alicia in front of the Trust so that she can demonstrate the Grove’s progress. But Theo urges patience, and Diomedes agrees—causing Theo to feel like “a son congratulated by his father.” At their next session, Alicia tells Theo everything, and he does his best to faithfully transcribe it all.
Theo’s need for Diomedes’s approval once more shows just how damaged Theo is from his own childhood. It is hardly a coincidence that at the same moment he reflects on Vernon Rose’s mistreatment of his daughter, Theo feels an extra need for a “father” figure.
Themes
