Chapter Fourteen

Martha’s despair on realizing that she made a mistake sending Bernie to the treatment center is heart wrenching.  Michael can’t help but respond to it.  He doesn’t have a clear idea of what he’s going to do but his ruse of dropping off a therapy toy is a good one.

Expanding Horizons is based on the creepy sanitoriums from the turn of the century, albeit updated.  They were essentially warehouses to keep embarrassing individuals away from society and the doctors had carte blanche to perform experiments on them in the name of improving medicine.  They had pamphlets with pictures of beautiful lawns and pristine grounds but hid the reality of their patients’ experiences.  The luxuries in the public areas were designed to soothe visitors and donors.