Why does Li spend long periods of time in hospitals in the memoir, Dear Friend, From My Life I Write to You in Your Life?

Li spends a great deal of time hospitalized for suicidal depression. The hospitals she lives in represent the extent to which she has sunken into despair and suicidal thoughts. The hospitals introduce her to a wide range of characters who she does not come to know intimately but who provide their own examples of suffering and mental illness. As Dear Friend focuses a great deal on this period of Li's life, the hospital provides the backdrop for her reflections on life as melodrama, death, and suicide. In addition, the therapy that Li goes through as part of her hospitalization prompts her to question the power of silence and language as she resits talking about her private life.