The Lives They Left Behind, by Darby Penney & Peter Stastny

As much as the treasure of materials found in the suitcases allows us to delve into the life stories of a tiny segment of Willard’s population, it casts an even larger shadow on the thousands of stories that will remain lost forever. This phenomenon occurs in all instances when particular details are learned about individuals who passed through tragedy, who died in wars, were exterminated in concentration camps, or went through slavery or other devastation. Knowing something about a few people makes us yearn to learn more about the many thousands, even millions, which these few represent. But there is a risk of false generalization and, in the case of a mental institution, generalizations may be even more problematic than for other human calamities. When considering wars or famines, we must assume that no one deserved to have gone through these experiences (unless, of course, they were perpetrators). But a mental institution is supposed to be a place of healing and support. People sometimes go there voluntarily, and some do get better at times, return to their previous lives, and occasionally even advance in their careers, start families, and rejoin their communities. But as the suitcase owners’ lives show, many do not find healing, and the treatment can be spirit-breaking.