"Listen, Mark. The world you think you know isn't real. You can't keep going like this."
Watching Harrow speak so confidently, Mark felt a sense of absurdity rise within him.
"Not real?" Mark forced out a quiet laugh. This Doctor Harrow thought he could dismiss decades of his life with a few casual words. Such arrogance. Such strangeness.
"Then tell me what's real. What's real!"
Mark's face flushed and his body trembled as he glared at the man and shouted his questions.
"Mark! Mark! Calm down!"
"Doctor Harrow"-Doctor Harrow hurriedly raised both hands at the sight of Mark's agitation, trying to soothe him.
"Don't get worked up. Listen to me. Our world isn't physical. Our world is mental. Do you understand?"
Doctor Harrow tapped his head with the pen he held and continued, "We can only determine the true nature of reality indirectly. Take this pen, for example. To me, it's a tool for writing, right?"
Mark stared at the pen without interrupting. He wanted to hear what Harrow had to say.
Encouraged by Mark's silence, Harrow continued his earnest explanation.
"But to my dog, this pen is a chew toy. Both interpretations are correct, aren't they? It's simply a matter of different standpoints and perspectives."
"I just want you to make an honest assessment of your situation, rather than lose yourself in the 'sanctuary' you've built in your mind."
Mark looked as though he had heard something laughable.
"A sanctuary?"
Harrow spread his hands helplessly. "Yes. You know what I mean. Your Steven, don't you?"
Mark's eyes widened as he stared at Harrow in surprise.
Noticing the change in Mark's expression, Harrow continued, "You're too caught up in your past trauma. People have to learn to look ahead. Every time we talk, you become sensitive and agitated so easily.