Hayley Gillespie

One of the major parts of the plot in this novel is mental illness. We follow the day of Septimus and learn the agonies he suffers every day since the war. He clearly has PTSD but back in the time the novel is based, this mental disorder was not yet known. The treatment of mental illnesses and disorders back in this time were traumatic in themselves, which is why Septimus killed himself when he believed the doctors were coming for him. It was not a good time to be diagnosed with any sort of mental instability. Now, thankfully, the treatment of the mentally ill is significantly better. It is not yet at the place it should be, but it is better than total isolation and shock therapy.