Rómulo’s Chosen Family

Rómulo’s tenderness toward the oscillating girl and his recognition of Alice as a motherlike figure reveal an emotional world intact beneath intellectual disability.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Twin Denied

The Mimetic Twin Two brothers Rómulo imitates the gestures and emotions of people around him, while his twin Remo is quiet and withdrawn. Rómulo denies that Remo exists and instead calls the oscillating girl his sister. A chosen attachment His bond with the girl is not merely imitation: he strokes her head, protects her, and invents stories for her. The connection reveals care and loyalty within a mind limited in other ways.

A Mother Recognized

Recognition by Affection A repeated secret Rómulo tells Alice that he knows who she is and later writes the same claim. His explanation combines a shared ear feature, their names, and his belief that she came to be with the children. A family made by need He names Alice their mother, and she cannot bear to contradict him. The exchange gives her a glimpse of the maternal role she has long wanted and makes her later departure emotionally harder.

Loss and Continuing Care

A Fragile Attachment The mistaken death The body identified as Rómulo is actually Remo. Alice recognizes the mismatch, while Rómulo has fled after witnessing the killing and cannot immediately explain what happened. A relationship survives Once Rómulo returns, Alice continues to treat him with tenderness and seeks a future for him and the girl. Their connection supports her growing conviction that care, not classification alone, should shape institutional life.

During Alice’s first days in the central hall

After Alice returns from the Recovery Ward

During the country outing and its aftermath