Brian Martin is a paranoid schizophrenic, inflicted with the problem of hearing voices from which he could find no escape. His problem begins very early in his life and progresses over the years. His suffering is shared by his family, particularly his mother whose anxiety for her afflicted son is adversely affecting her health, aggravated by osteoporosis, causing her bones to become so brittle that she fractures her hip in an accident.
Brian’s mental condition begins to manifest itself during childhood. He runs away from school but is soon located. He isolates himself from the other children in school and demonstrates a behavior so peculiar that the principal of the school becomes concerned enough to report to his mother that he should be seen by a child psychiatrist for a thorough analysis of his behavior.
As he grows older, he continues to hear voices, invariably urging him to run away in order to escape from imminent danger.
The entire family, including the housemaid, become involved with his problem. The burden of trying to locate him each time he runs away falls on his brother’s shoulder.
Brian’s escapades, not only cause him a great deal of suffering, but also inflict a deepening anxiety on the family. His narrow escapes from danger continue to present a problem for himself and the rest of his family.
His participation in a group therapy leads to a meeting with a certain girl who happens to be particularly responsive to his problem and interested in his welfare. They finally get married, but after the birth of his son, they get divorced, after being influenced by his scheming aunt to marry her adopted son.
Brian returns to Los Angeles, heavily medicated, with an escort.
Shortly thereafter, his mother becomes seriously ill at which time, she extracts a promise from Brian’s older brother, to continue his involvement.
Brian’s problem is representative of the pain and suffering that families have to suffer in a situation where there is an ongoing mental problem in their midst.
The story fans out around various episodes, pinpointing in every detail, the agony of, not only the victim, but also those that surround him, in an environment charged with feeling of uncertainty and debilitating stress.
sassoon18 