Mental Illness, Schizophrenia

This theme tracks the steady decline of Flynn's mental state as he becomes increasingly mired in his delusion of Frank and obsessed with completing his novel, despite the fact that he is clearly unwell. The themes of madness and creativity are inextricably linked, as Flynn is determined to hold on to his fictional protagonist even once he comes to terms with the fact that Frank is not real, because he views this as a necessary part of his creative process.

It comes to light in Chapter 7 that Flynn is suffering from the onset of schizophrenia, but the symptoms of his mental illness are established well before this in the form of his fantasies and delusions. He sees things and people that are not there, and when he slips into a fantasy, he is shocked to discover that what he just experienced did not really...