#lev nikolayevich myshkin

About as close to textually autistic as a character can be before autism was a recognised diagnosis:

- Consistently described as simple-minded, eccentric, an 'idiot', 'mentally ill', and 'not all there' (partly due to his epilepsy).

- Repeatedly describes feeling alienated from society and detached from everyone around him; feels most comfortable around children.

- Prefers solitude and quiet.

- Often mirrors the behaviour of others when uncertain how to respond to a situation.

- Continually derided for his innocence/naïveté/'childish' character; described as 'needing a babysitter' despite being an adult man

- Shy, quiet, and gentle.

- Exceptionally honest and earnest to the point of being blunt (described as 'never tell[ing] a lie') and assumes that everyone else is being honest with him in return even when evidence suggests otherwise.

- Coded as asexual.

- Oblivious to other characters' attempts to deceive, belittle, or mock him and finds it difficult to read their intentions.

- Very concerned with justice and equity.

- Has a particular interest in calligraphy and talks about it at length when prompted.

- Struggles to manage his emotions.

Additional evidence submitted:

Physically uncoordinated (described as 'bow[ing] clumsily', falling down, and knocking things over)

Generally oblivious to social conventions/boundaries

Hyper-empathetic

Notably unusual degree of eye contact

Periods of speech loss (not including those caused by epilepsy or mental illness)

Unable to recognise sarcasm