Prince Myshkin

Returns from a Swiss sanitarium with the simplicity of a child; sees through the calculations of Petersburg society without trying; is loved by two women and cannot wound either; is broken by the world he cannot lie to; ends in renewed insanity. Failure mode: None on his side; the world cannot tolerate the unguarded sight. Restoration path: Speak the truth in love and be broken by it if you must. Markers: unguarded honesty; sees through performances effortlessly; cannot wound; loved by incompatible parties; broken by the world he refused to lie to — Prince Myshkin, Dostoevsky, The Idiot (Literature)