Chương 1801: Chapter 1218: The Lamb's Cry (End)_1

When Bruce saw Shiller in the interrogation room, he was still wearing a straitjacket and a mask, not absolved of guilt as Amanda had suggested.

Judging from Shiller's facial expression, Bruce understood that Shiller had been waiting for him there for a while, the charade was due to end.

As Bruce sat across from Shiller, every detail of the whole incident started playing in his mind.

If Bruce had to summarize, he realized for the first time that everyone involved was arrogant, glamorizing themselves and all were flawed.

Bruce concluded that Shiller was autistic and needed theraphy, which involved binding Shiller to himself, creating a bond that could never be broken within the confines of everyday society, irrespective of whether or not Arrogant desired freedom.

Thomas, as Bruce's father, had preconceived notions entrenched in his heart. He saw himself as the most critical person in Bruce's life and believed that without him, Bruce would have a hard time, concluding that Bruce must have gone astray.

Unable to conceal this mindset from Shiller, he capitalized on Thomas's internal vulnerabilities, validated his fears, and further fortified Thomas's preconceived notions.

His authority as a father made him believe he was acting for Bruce's benefit, leading him to employ violent means to subdue Bruce. He believed his judgment and advice were correct, and the other party must obey and act as he dictated, or their situation would become worse.

As for Shiller, a teacher to Bruce, Morbid Shiller considered his engagement was for Arrogant's own good, so without consulting him, he forcefully tied him to Batman.

Arrogant believed it was also for Bruce's good, helping him succeed on his tests and face impending dangers. Hence, he continued to assert his authority on Bruce over four years, subduing him as a father might.

To put it simply, everyone was enforcing their will over others, steadfastly believing their will was right and beneficial to others, and that's the essence of patriarchy.

Whether the patriarchy is a force cloaking itself with love or love masked with force, it is hard to discern.

Perhaps, a father's advice is right. Maybe, a son's rebellion is justified. But these facts cannot negate that everyone, under the pretense of love, is causing harm to others.

It brings us back to that age-old saying, love isn't about control but about enabling.

More importantly, we shouldn't merely provide what we think is best for the other, and definitely shouldn't force it upon them.

As Bruce sat across from Shiller, he had already figured these things out. Yet, he had a question that remained unanswered. So he looked at Shiller and asked, "... aren't you angry?"

Bruce felt rage when he discovered that Thomas's violent treatment of him was merely a reaction to his prior defiance. Realizing Thomas was acting from a place of personal vendetta, his actions were not out of paternal love but a distortion of paternal authority, a mere projection of his frustrations.

Bruce acknowledged that he had also reacted similarly in the past. All of it should have ended after he made Shiller drink the blood, in an attempt to bind the latter to regular social life for therapy.

But later, Bruce continued his pretext by exploiting the views of Morbid, having Arrogant Shiller unable to disable the device freely, and sending him back to prison, it was indeed an act of revenge for the mutually enduring torture over the previous four years with Shiller.

So, wasn't Shiller angry about this?

If he was, why didn't he promptly leave the prison and return to Gotham?

Bruce realized that regardless of Shiller's plan, whether he went straight to Bruce to deal him a harsh hand, or used a complex ploy to get back at him, Bruce wouldn't have any effective countermeasure, and he would undoubtedly endure great pain.

But Shiller didn't take those actions.

Eager to hear Shiller's response, Bruce stood up, passed his hands around Shiller's neck from behind, and unmasked him. He then unlocked the shackles of the straitjacket tied to the chair.

The next second, everything went spinning for Bruce. Shiller tossed him onto the ground and stood beside him, looking down at him.

"You didn't think I was still angry about that incident, did you, Bruce?"

Having been thrown onto the ground, Bruce was instantly engulfed by darkness. His health was in poor condition, and the violent fall gave him the impression that his lungs had split.

"I know you're angry, but why…"

"Because I'm your teacher." A black umbrella gradually appeared in Shiller's hand.

Unlike what Bruce had anticipated, rage wasn't apparent in Shiller's eyes, rather a sense of resignation dominated.

"I know you want to save me. I know your intentions were of love. I appreciate your sentiments. But it's important to preserve a sense of decorum in our relationship..." said Shiller, his voice deep and melancholic.

Bruce opened his eyes wide, staring at Shiller. He picked up an umbrella, lightly stroking it as he spoke to Bruce:

"The best education in the world is through action and example. I have to accomplish this first, to teach you how to resist patriarchy, and how to exercise it."

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