"Such implications can cause great panic in certain anxiety patients and are not conducive to their treatment."
"The vast majority of mental illness patients yearn for a space to escape and avoid, even though in reality they do not have it. But they do need such hints."
"If they sit on a multi-seat sofa, they can choose to sit across me, or avoid me and sit in the corner. This can prevent them from having to face me directly, not having to bear the psychological implication that they are being treated, thereby alleviating the stress it brings."
"At the same time, I can assess the severity of their condition by observing where they choose to sit on the chair and adjust my treatment plan based on their demeanor and movements when making choices."
"Have I explained all in enough detail?" Shiller tilted his head and looked at Valentine. Valentine nodded, then stood up and sat on the sofa across, choosing a position directly facing the single seater.
Shiller sat back down on the single-seat sofa, set the tape recorder on the table, and asked Valentine, "May I record?"
Valentine nodded and said, "Of course."
"Thank you for your cooperation. The recording of the treatment process will only be used for my personal review of your condition and other similar academic research. The process and content of the conversation will be completely kept confidential."
"Click."
The button on the tape recorder was pressed, and the tape began to turn. Shiller leaned back, crossed his hands in front of him, and said to Valentine, "It's obvious that this is your first time seeing a psychologist. Generally speaking, psychological treatment has two modes: you speak, or I speak."
Valentine narrowed his eyes. Although he was wearing a mask and no one could see his expression clearly, perhaps because of this, the emotions revealed by his eyes were crystal clear. He seemed a bit puzzled.
From where Bruce was standing, he could see both of their profiles at the same time: a very calm psychologist, and a monster wearing a pig head mask sitting face to face, with a subtly whirring tape recorder placed on the table.
This scene looked terrifying and bizarre, but Bruce felt utterly absorbed, or rather, he was looking forward to the forthcoming conversation between the two.
This was Batman's first time confronting the inner world of these killers. He was eager to know how these cold, ruthless, and inhumane natural-born killers saw the world and themselves.
"I've talked about my past." Valentine began, "But now I'm here because I want to know what you meant when you said that deep down, I don't see them as pigs, and I don't see myself as a butcher."
Shiller shook his head and said, "If you want to lead the treatment process, what you need to do is not ask me questions but express your confusion about certain things in any way you choose."
"You could explain the logic that led you to this confusion. For instance, if you wonder why you dislike apples, you could recount incidents related to apples; when did you first encounter apples? When did you first start to dislike apples? How do you feel after eating an apple?"
"Or, you could vent your intense hatred for apples, through swearing, crying, or repeatedly describing your experienced anxiety and sadness."
Shiller spread his hands in front of him, then said, "Psychological treatment is not about seeking truth. A psychiatrist cannot give you an objective and correct answer."
"You are here to seek understanding. I help you understand yourself, and let you understand that a psychiatrist understands you and is willing to help you."
"If I have to say, I started hating those people possibly from the day my mother died," Valentine said, "In fact, I didn't like my father at all. He was always on the move with his construction team, and when he was home, he would just complain about how busy work was and how high the cost of living was."
"He didn't care about my mother and me. All his 'education' for me was impatiently driving me away when I was talking to him, or hitting me when I offended him."
"Did your father have violent behavior?" asked Shiller.
"We didn't have such a concept back then." Valentine replied, "A son is the father's property. If I was beaten up, it must have been because I did something wrong."
"Back then, my only hobby was eating. I would buy cheap bread, butter, and dairy products and eat nonstop. By the time he died, I was already much larger than kids my age and therefore had no friends."
"Did you grieve for your father's death?" asked Shiller.
"Of course." Valentine nodded, "But what saddened me more was that my mother said our family income had significantly decreased, and I couldn't eat so much anymore."
"Childhood gluttony." Shiller murmured.
"I hate them because after my mother died, no one provided me with so much food anymore. I was sent to a special children's education school, but no one liked me there because I was too fat and always stole food recklessly."
As Valentine recounted his childhood experiences, his indifference made Bruce shudder. He spoke as calmly as if he were talking about someone else's life, without any sign of sadness or pain.
"Their method of curing my gluttony was to deny me any food, and so, I lost weight at an incredibly fast pace," Valentine gently nodded, "From then on, my attitude towards food became strange. I began to dislike eating, even hated it, but I was always hungry."
"Later, that special children's education school closed. But during the student count, the principal and teachers were accused of child abuse because I was too thin. I was transferred to a community elementary school."
"Because I didn't like to eat, and the teachers there were worried about being accused of child abuse, they insisted that I eat. Otherwise, I could only sit at the dining table doing nothing."
"Soon, I learned how to control my weight with a normal amount of food, just like a regular person. But I knew that I had completely lost interest in normal human food. Yet, I was always hungry."
"With age, I got hungrier and hungrier. But later, I gradually found that this feeling of hunger was not actual hunger."