Dangers of the Ego

Over the course of the novel, it becomes clear that Robert's ego has warped his sense of duty to his patients and convinced himself that his procedure is the only answer to every mental malady. This halts all progress that Robert could have made with more time and research.

Even from the beginning, Robert shows signs of extreme ego masked as self-confidence and charisma. This can be seen even in his first interview with Ruth as he comes in and immediately tells her what she should do to improve the hospital despite not having been there before. After Robert and Edward pioneer the lobotomy, his sense of self-importance begins to grow even more, but it is not until the transorbital lobotomy that Robert's ego becomes a real problem. When Edward points out the potential for problems and death by doing the lobotomy in...