Lazarus Diomedes Character Analysis in The Silent Patient

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:

Empathy, Identification, and Boundaries Theme Icon

[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: Theo Faber (speaker), Lazarus Diomedes (speaker)

Related Symbols: Cigarettes

Page Number and Citation: 67

Explanation and Analysis:

Lazarus Diomedes Character Timeline in The Silent Patient

The timeline below shows where the character Lazarus Diomedes appears in The Silent Patient. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...her long history of mental health problems. The judge was especially convinced by Professor Lazarus Diomedes, director of a psychological unit known as the Grove, who argued that Alicia’s silence was... (full context)

...some of his colleagues at Broadmoor, his previous clinic, had warned Theo that clinical director Diomedes is an unconventional man, and that working at the Grove could be “career suicide.” Theo... (full context)

In Community, all the patients, about 30 in total, are drinking tea or coffee. Diomedes holds this meeting as “an attempt to involve the patients in their own treatment,” though... (full context)

...causes saliva to constantly drip from her mouth. Before Theo can take in more details, Diomedes pushes him to introduce himself. (full context)

Silence vs. “The Talking Cure” Theme Icon

...cues; she is mad that the cues are broken and have yet to be repaired. Diomedes asks Theo to lead the session, and Theo encourages Elif to come to Community on... (full context)

When Theo enters Diomedes’s office, he is surprised to find that there are musical instruments of all kinds strewn... (full context)

At the same time, though, Diomedes is worried the Grove will be shut down, as it is anything but cost-effective. He... (full context)

Theo changes the subject, asking Diomedes about Alicia’s care since she has arrived at the Grove. Diomedes admits that he tried... (full context)

...radiator makes him sympathize with Elif’s frustration over the pool cues. Reluctantly, he looks at Diomedes’s case notes on Alicia. The notes reveal little, except that Alicia had tried to harm... (full context)

...boasts that he has a better relationship with Alicia than anyone in the hospital, even Diomedes. (full context)

Theo goes to Diomedes’s office and requests that Alicia’s medication (16 milligrams of risperidone) be reduced. Diomedes explains that... (full context)

Diomedes warns that taking Alicia off her medicine could make her suicidal again, but Theo is... (full context)

As Yuri tends to Theo’s wounds, he warns him that Diomedes will not be pleased. Theo surveys the damage—scratches and black bruises around his neck, where... (full context)

Stephanie wants Theo to stop therapy, but Indira, Diomedes, and Theo all believe that Alicia’s attack is actually a sign of progress. Over Stephanie’s... (full context)

After lunch, Diomedes calls Theo into his office. Max has called the Grove to complain about Theo’s investigations,... (full context)

Theo goes to meet Diomedes in his office. Diomedes practices his harp, and he predicts that it will snow later... (full context)

Theo does not understand why Alcestis is silent in the end. Diomedes explains that she is overcome with emotion—“have you ever been betrayed?” he asks Theo. In... (full context)

...not give her access to paint, the one thing that allows her to express herself? Diomedes tells Theo that Alicia can paint if her art therapist, Rowena Hart, agrees to it—but... (full context)

Stephanie leads a meeting in Diomedes’s office. She is angry that Alicia has been allowed to paint, and she insists that... (full context)

Christian blames Theo for Alicia’s attack, and though Diomedes is kinder, he agrees that they have tried to do “too much, too soon.” Though... (full context)

...sessions (and possibly more), not declaring the income. Theo agrees to keep Christian’s secret from Diomedes, saving Christian his job—as long as Christian shares everything he knows about Alicia. (full context)

Theo tells Diomedes about his accomplishment: Alicia has finally spoken. Shocked and gratified, Diomedes wants to put Alicia... (full context)

Theo speaks to Diomedes, admitting he needs some supervision in figuring out Alicia’s case. Theo shares that he is... (full context)

Diomedes believes that Alicia’s entire encounter with the man is an elaborate fantasy; he is much... (full context)

Diomedes theorizes that Alicia and the man are “one and the same”; she cannot face what... (full context)

...ward. Theo blames himself, while Christian frets about the rest of the patients’ wellbeing. Strangely, Diomedes is nowhere to be found—even though Yuri had seen him in the hallway earlier that... (full context)

Half an hour later, Diomedes arrives, claiming to have been in a meeting with the Trust. He summons Theo and... (full context)

Diomedes tries to argue that no one is at fault: “when someone wants to die […]... (full context)

Julien McMahon, the head of the trust, sits Theo down and tells him that Diomedes has resigned. To Theo’s surprise, however, Julien has a job offer for him: the hospital... (full context)

Lazarus Diomedes Character Analysis

Lazarus Diomedes Quotes in The Silent Patient

Part 2, Chapter 2 Quotes

Lazarus Diomedes Character Timeline in The Silent Patient