"No need, I require the victims' information, their activity patterns, and social circles; otherwise, no matter how much more I look, it's useless. Send me the remaining 12 letters, and I will decode the password as quickly as possible."
Gordon didn't stop him from leaving because he also knew that Batman solved cases based on evidence, and behavioral analysis was an old discipline. To find present answers, one had to synthesize and review past clues. Fresh crime scenes could provide inspiration but not much; when it came to wild guesses, that was Shiller's domain.
Gordon arranged to have the crime scene photos sent to Shiller. Although the photos didn't have as strong a mediumistic energy, spotting some clues would be sufficient. Then he had someone send the photos of the letters and various materials about the victims to Bruce. The teacher-student duo, adept in psychoanalysis and behavioral analysis, were believed to be able to come up with results soon.
Shiller was sitting at the bedside looking at the photos, the ultraviolet light above keeping his body temperature at a more comfortable level, but he still needed to bask in the sun for nearly four hours every day to have enough energy to function.
He placed the photos of the three victims on three corners of the desk to compare them one by one. After a while, he called Gordon and said,
"Nigma's body was divided into many parts, but the dismemberment process didn't contain any anger. He was very rational and was using this action to express a meaning."
"What do you think that is?"
"Someone had once shattered him this way, making him feel his spirit was torn to shreds, just like Nigma's body, scattered here and there, unable to be put back together. He felt pain and confusion."
"And then?"
"The second person, the one stuffed into an oil drum and roasted, symbolizes some kind of convergence. Some people provided him with a framework and compressed his spirit inward."
"Is that a good thing?"
"Yes, because in the first case, he expressed feeling his spirit being torn apart. This compression is positive; although it's painful, he still felt like he was being pieced back together, with some desperately trying to restore him to normal."
"At the same time, the flame signifies not just warmth. I'd rather call it rebirth. He believes his soul was reignited, and during this process, he abandoned any previous relationships and chose his own family."
"Damn, how did you figure that out?"
"Do you want me to explain it to you?"
"No, no, no, keep going."
"Alright, but I still need to explain a bit, in case you don't understand the third one. Most people hate crowding; they prefer bigger houses, more spacious cars. Humans, in a normal mental state, tend to favor open environments, but sometimes, they fear the exposed emptiness."
"This comes from an ancestral instinct. Our original purpose in building houses was for shelter, to protect against the weather and beasts. Hence, for living spaces, moderation in size is best. Too big and empty or too small and crowded, either can make people feel uncomfortable."
"But once the mental state of the human race becomes abnormal, it will be reflected in their changing attitudes toward their living conditions. Some people begin to yearn for the wilderness, wanting to be cradled by the sky and earth, seeking the soothing vastness of unobstructed spaces."
"When patients express this desire, I understand that their spirits are being squeezed, that all sorts of intangible pressures are constantly crushing their minds inwards, causing their thoughts to create immense friction within a minimal space. This friction consumes their energy, prompting them to seek a more expansive physical space."
"Then, there are those who want to hide in extremely narrow gaps, wishing to have a secret base, or even to burrow into bed and never come out."
"This condition is often seen in children, and their mental states have one thing in common—excessive exposure."
"Parents with a strong desire for control make them feel as though they are being watched. Their spirits are flattened and squashed until every detail is exposed to others' eyes, driving them to seek physical refuge, hoping for a space that can completely shield and seal them off, where they can be alone."
"Therefore, stuffing a body into a narrow oil drum proves that the murderer also has a history of being excessively exposed mentally. He has always wanted to hide in a space like an oil drum, no longer wanting to be under surveillance, not wanting his spirit to have nowhere to hide."
"Professional therapy for this situation would apply a certain mental pressure on the patient, forcing their excessively dispersed attention to refocus. This is a treatment method starkly different from the first kind of patients, and it breaks many people's stereotypes about psychological therapy."
"Yes," Gordon replied, "I always thought psychological therapy was about psychiatrists letting people imagine wide open fields, envision themselves flying freely over beautiful meadows."
"For the first kind of patient, perhaps, but such vast environments would only cause the second type to feel more panicked."
"So, do you make them imagine dark and crowded environments?"
"Guiding patients to imagine and observing their reactions is a testing method, not a form of treatment. For mental illnesses that are unable to self-regulate, medication is the first choice. Secondly, if it were me, I would choose to provide the second type of patient with something that could concentrate their attention."
"Such as doing crafts, painting, knitting—something that the patient personally has an interest in. Most importantly, they need to create a schedule, but the specific content of that schedule is entirely up to them."
"They could even spend two months preparing materials, then complete the piece in one day. For an artist, this is completely unbalanced; there's no need for two months to prepare materials, most of that time may be waste, and completing a masterpiece in one day is too rushed, the result might not be satisfying."
"But in psychological therapy, it's important to continually emphasize self-control to the patients, letting them know that they can indeed do this, how they arrange their schedule depends only on what they want, not what the doctor, the nurse, or the bystander wants."
"I think I'm beginning to understand. This might help them realize that if they choose not to finish, it is just that—a choice, not a failure."
"Yes, because for most of their past, regardless of the choices they made, they were seen as failures. To return choice to its original meaning is the best way to enhance self-control."
"But what if the work they produce doesn't satisfy them?"
"That's the next step. They need to completely let go of the standards set for them by others in the past and regain their own perspective."