The Silence of the Lambs: Chapter 2 Summary & Analysis

Starling travels to the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, where she has a conversation with Dr. Frederick Chilton, the man in charge of overseeing Hannibal Lecter. As Starling speaks with Chilton in his office, she quickly realizes he is more interested in flirting with her than discussing Lecter. Immediately, Starling does everything she can to ensure Chilton knows she is not interested. It takes him some time, but eventually, he catches on.

Suddenly, Chilton’s demeanor changes, and he acts like he does not have time for Starling. He tells her he can brief her on the way to Lecter’s cell but claims he won’t have time to speak to her after. Starling tries to protest—she scheduled a meeting with Chilton and will likely need his input for her report—but Chilton insists he is busy. Before walking to Lecter’s cell, Chilton tells Starling to hand her coat to a man named Alan. Alan is Chilton’s secretary, who is also an inmate at the hospital. When Starling passes him her coat, Alan starts asking her bizarre and disgusting scatological questions about her bathroom habits. Starling tries to get away from him, but Alan grabs hold of her coat and does not let go. Chilton orders Alan to put the coat away and not to touch it while Starling is gone.

Together, Starling and Chilton make their way through the mental institution. On the way to Lecter’s cell, Chilton shows Starling a picture of a nurse Lecter permanently disfigured because she let her guard down around him. Chilton also goes through all the safety protocols everyone must follow when in Lecter’s presence. Additionally, Chilton comments that Crawford is clever for sending Starling because Lecter has not seen a woman in years. Chilton thinks Starling's femininity will make Lecter more likely to open up to her.

When they get to the section of the institution containing Lecter’s cell, Starling asks Chilton if she can go the rest of the way on her own. She knows Lecter does not like Chilton and does not want him to shut down immediately. Chilton allows Starling to do as she wishes but is annoyed with her for supposedly wasting his time. Starling makes her way down a hallway full of inmates. As she walks, she purposely does not make eye contact with the inmates, though she hears one of them (Miggs) whisper a vulgar comment about her. Finally, Starling makes it to Lecter’s cell at the end of the hallway.