Very intense, well-written character study, rich, complex and profoundly tragic and disturbing novel. A truly powerful, humorous, grotesque, provoking and entertaining tale about power struggle in a mental ward. It is filled with great dark humor, sarcasm, realistic irony and tells the reader how people can overcome their fears with just the right push in the right direction.
This is an amazing book about prejudice against the mentally disturbed, desperation, self- awareness, cruelty, the freedom of the spirit, struggle between the system and the individual, revolt against stifling social oppression...
The anti-authority story told from the viewpoint of a patient who pretends to be deaf and mute is very effective, for he has access to information that the other patients don't.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The language and style are so beautiful. Definitely worth reading.

"Man, when you lose your laugh you lose your footing."

"You can't really be strong until you can see a funny side things."

"So you see my friend, it is somewhat as you stated: man has but one truly effective weapon against the juggernaut of modern matriarchy, but it certainly is not laughter. One weapon, and with every passing year in this hip, motivationally researched society, more and more people are discovering how to render that weapon useless and conquer those who have hitherto been conquerors..."

"I can't help it. I was born a miscarriage. I had so many insults I died. I was born dead. I can't help it.... I'm tired."

"Never before did I realize that mental illness could have the aspect of power, power. Think of it: perhaps the more insane a man is, the more powerful he could become. Hitler an example. Fair makes the old brain reel, doesn't it?"

"I been silent so long now it's gonna roar out of me like floodwaters and you think the guy telling this is ranting and raving my God; you think this is too horrible to have really happened, this is too awful to be the truth! But, please. It's still hard for me to have a clear mind thinking on it. But it’s the truth even if it didn't happen."

"Because he knows you have to laugh at the things that hurt you just to keep yourself in balance, just to keep the world from running you plumb crazy. He knows there's a painful side; he knows my thumb smarts and his girl friend has a bruised breast and the doctor is losing his glasses, but he won't let the pain blot out the humor no more'n he'll let the humor blot out the pain."