Chapters 21, 22, 23 and 24 Summary

In Chapter 21, Mari visits Dr. Igor and asks whether she is cured. Igor reminds her that she has not had any of her panic attacks for several years, and then explains to her what he believes her condition really is. He goes on to explain how society has evolved to the point where everyone accepts standards of behavior, feeling and action simply because they've been told to. People who are truly themselves, he suggests, are those who live according to who they are, and not according to what society needs them to be or defines them as. Mari tells him that her thinking has changed after hearing Veronika play, suggesting that the way that dying girl lives has inspired her to live her life fully, even though her death is less immediate. Igor signs Mari's release form, and narration suggests that...