So I had a choice between going to a jail or going to a bughouse like a nice young middle-class student. So I chose to go to a very polite mental hospital. When I left eight months later, they said, 'You were never psychotic. You were just an average neurotic'.

Summary

In this quote, the speaker reflects on their decision to opt for a mental hospital rather than going to jail. They describe the mental hospital as a 'bughouse,' implying that it is a place where one might expect to find eccentric or mentally unstable individuals. However, after spending eight months there, the speaker is told that they were never truly psychotic, but rather an average neurotic. This quote highlights the speaker's conscious choice to seek help for their mental health issues, suggesting that they preferred the idea of getting treatment in a more compassionate environment rather than facing legal consequences.

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