One of the most common and probably most effective disciplinary methods in prison is solitary confinement because it creates a detachment from other prisoners that has the potential to lead the person into a delusional state of mind . The unnamed protagonist of Rawi Hage's novel Cockroach lives in constant isolation due to his psychotic outlook on life. After a suicide attempt, he is sentenced to consult a psychologist to evaluate whether he should be admitted to a psychiatric institution. While conversing with the therapist, he reveals his shocking backstory of living in Lebanon during the civil war. He left Lebanon and now resides in an apartment in the dark and gloomy city of Montreal, with only cockroaches in his apartment's kitchen. As a result of the incidents from Lebanon, he begins to perceive himself as a cockroach and uses that perception to help him live beneath the world. It's clear that the protagonist grows as his isolation begins to engulf him. This is evident through the character's evolving image of himself, his raging anger, and harassment from his friends and society. Isolation is torturous for a human being as it can lead to depression, anxiety, and in severe cases, even insanity. The protagonist is so secluded that he conjures up a mental image of himself as a cockroach escaping into drains in the sewers so he can get away from it all. His image of himself as a cockroach is constructed due to his belief in the end of the world caused by an apocalypse that will leave only cockroaches surviving, resulting in him finally being accepted. He hallucinates a cockroach saying, "The world ended for you a long time ago. You never took part in it. Look at you, you always go out... middle of paper...kill yourself in the first place. To conclude, the protagonist of the novel evolves greatly as he emerges from his isolation. He becomes overwhelmed by isolation from society and begins to become increasingly angry, delusional, and psychotic. He creates a bipolar character of a cockroach to escape from his apartment in search of a place to be accepted Furthermore, he begins to become unstable due to childhood guilt for failing to save his sister and his anger is further provoked by harassment from his friends and society. These aspects of his life have greatly influenced the way in which the novel proceeds. The protagonist's psychological state testifies to the fragility of patients with mental disorders and the importance of care and compassion that should be provided to them as opposed to abandonment and isolation...