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 is confused about why Alicia’s earlier suicide attempt is nowhere in her files. He calls Max, who impatiently explains that Gabriel hired a private doctor for Alicia instead of bringing her to the hospital, hoping to keep the entire thing quiet. Theo also asks about Gabriel’s will: was Alicia the main beneficiary? Max reveals that Gabriel actually left most of his estate to Max. Since Gabriel’s death, his pictures have become astronomically more valuable.
Max is becoming an increasingly suspicious character: whereas Alicia had no motive (financial or otherwise) to shoot her husband, Max has gotten rich off of Gabriel’s death. Besides, with Gabriel out of the picture, Max could more easily gain access to Alicia, his illicit love.
Themes
After lunch, Diomedes calls Theo into his office. Max has called the Grove to complain about Theo’s investigations, and Diomedes is frustrated that Theo is acting unprofessionally. This isn’t a “detective story,” Diomedes tells Theo; the point is to be present with Alicia, not to look for clues. Theo promises that he will not do any more investigative work.
Diomedes’s advice is at odds with the form of the novel, which (according to author Michaelides) is “a psychological detective story.” But while Diomedes feels that Theo should just focus on helping Alicia, giving her comfort the best he knows how, Theo is more interested in solving the mystery of her psyche.
Themes
