Shiller paced slowly behind the glass partition, cleaned his hands in the washbasin next to the medical bed, and then grabbed a towel from the side. He dried his hands as he walked out.
He resumed his place on the single-seater sofa, where Valentine laid at his feet, blood streaming incessantly from his eye sockets, staining a large portion of the carpet red.
The sight of a wounded human and the smell of gore instinctively prompted Bruce to want to rush over and bandage the injuries. But in the end, he didn't. Instead, he retreated back into the shadows.
It wasn't because he had remembered that Professor Pig was actually a serial killer. It was because to get to Valentine's side, he would have to walk past Shiller.
That was definitely not a wise idea, given that Shiller had casually tossed the towel aside, preparing to start his discourse.
"If you were to visit a psychologist's office not with the intention of unburdening yourself but to listen to him, you'd most likely hear words of comfort. However, every psychologist knows placating words focused on the other's condition are ineffective," he began.
"No one can comfort you better than you; if you can't even console yourself, paying someone else to do so is pointless. You'd be better off taking medication to cure your physical ailments, reestablish your psychological defenses, and regain the ability to self-soothe."
"But if you were to visit a psychologist's office to pay for his advice, a professional psychologist, naturally, would find the best method to comfort you rather than shirk their responsibility."
The sofa across from him was now empty. Hence, Shiller crossed one leg over the other and leaned back against the chair, shifting into a more formal posture. "Every psychologist has his method of comforting others, and I am no exception."
"All the therapy I conduct aims to make patients feel understood. The best way to make a patient feel understood isn't incessantly repeating 'I understand you,' but rather, discussing oneself."
"You first have to let the patient understand you. Only then can they perceive whether they've been understood from your speech and behavior."
"Let's start with the part that interests you the most," Shiller leaned back, resting his hands on the armrests, and, turning to Valentine, said:
"Why I don't consider members of the human race as my own kind."
Just a moment ago, Bruce had been watching Valentine, picturing the infected wound in his eye. Yet as Shiller finished his statement, Bruce had no choice but to turn his attention to the professor.
"As a psychologist, in many people's eyes, my profession is enigmatic and indeed so. But more importantly, this profession makes you confront a harsh reality - the driving force behind humanity is actually filthy, ugly, and nauseating."
"The evil inherent in human nature is not individuals' burden but their indivisible part, the very foundation of their survival. Yet, they never realize this and have established a system to curb this evil. They call it morals."
"Humans, due to their habits, can be easily tamed. Social animals are domesticated by societal morals. Of course, some individuals may resist complete domestication. In order to limit the actions of these individuals, another system called the law was established."
"The reason I don't acknowledge ordinary individuals who live within the confines of morals and laws as my kind is because they've become another species domesticated by morals and law, rather than true, original humans."
Bruce tilted his head to one side, but Shiller abruptly changed his tone, saying:
"However, I can fully understand this phenomenon. Human societies developed through mutual cooperation. In order to establish and live within this society, rules are required to maintain its operation. It's very normal and understandable for ordinary people to follow these rules in pursuit of social status."
"One could even argue that they should do so. I would do the same. If I wanted to fit into a group, I would act according to the group's rules. However, this isn't because I'm benevolent, but because I understand this is an effective method."
"The greatest success of parental education is teaching their children how to become social animals and secure a place in society."
"I don't resent ordinary people," Shiller shook his head lightly, "I fully understand them, and I can empathize with their experiences in society and the difficulties they face. It's for this reason that I could become a psychologist."
"I thoroughly understand society - how it operates and its individuals, and how their emotional systems function."
As Shiller got to this point, Bruce watched him intently, just as Valentine did, despite being entirely blind. They both wanted to ask him the same question—an inquiry Shiller foresaw and preempted:
"To be precise, I don't see myself as a social human being. I acknowledge that I belong to the human race, but I don't abide by the rules that govern human society, be it morals or laws."