Alfred did something that made his own government arrest him, rush a trial to get him declared incompetent, and send him to an asylum to receive a lobotomy and other things that apparently didn’t work quickly enough for Secretary Rusk’s liking. Matthew’s been thinking about that detail a lot—the idea that they wanted a quick fix to an unsolvable situation beyond their understanding. When they couldn’t find the solution they wanted, they lobotomized him.
Matthew Williams receives a letter in February of 1963 announcing that his brother, whom he has not heard from in months, has been staying at Philadelphia State Hospital since November. Following two months of recovery, Alfred is ready to return to society after his lobotomy.