Character Relationship Map: The Lunatics

Characters

• Dr. Tsui (played by Stanley Fung Shui-Fan) — protagonist

  A psychiatrist and social worker who donates his time to helping mentally ill people, including those living on the streets. He calms Doggie during a disturbance, supports Tsuen and Chung, and tries t...

• Tsuen (played by Paul Chun Pui) — supporting

  A former patient who says he has been rehabilitated and lives independently, but struggles with medication and limited access to his son. After conflict with his ex-wife's family, his mental state det...

• Chung (played by Chow Yun-Fat) — supporting

  A chainsmoking man who collects cigarette butts and lives in a shanty with his daughter. When Dr. Tsui finds him, Chung insists he did not kill his son and leads him and the police to the burial place...

• Ming (played by Dennis Chan Kwok-San) — supporting

  A doctor whom Dr. Tsui confronts over medicine prescribed to Chung. Ming explains that he prescribed hepatitis medication without knowing Chung intended it for his son, and says he witnessed the birth...

• Doggie (played by Tony Leung Chiu-wai) — supporting

  A mentally ill man whose disturbance at a fish market is calmed by Dr. Tsui before he is taken into custody. Later, Doggie's parents tell Dr. Tsui that he wants to commit suicide. At the market, a pho...

• Teacher (played by Season Ma) — supporting

  Tsuen's son's teacher, identified in the story as Miss Li. She allows Tsuen to take the boy on an unscheduled birthday trip, prompting the boy's mother to reprimand her. During the later school crisis...

• Tsuen's mother (played by Lai Suen) — supporting

  Tsuen's mother brings him chickens, eventually agrees to take him to the hospital after finding him biting into one in the shower, and is present when a mob confronts him at his apartment. When Tsuen...

• Doctor examining Tsuen (played by Lo Hung) — supporting

  A doctor at the hospital examines Tsuen after his behavior deteriorates. Tsuen puts on a convincing show in front of the doctor and is released without being sent to Castle Peak. The account does not...

• New husband of Tsuen's ex-wife (played by Jeffrey Ho Wai-Lung) — minor

  The new husband of Tsuen's ex-wife becomes involved when Tsuen attempts to take his son Ah Hei on an unscheduled birthday trip. A physical confrontation breaks out between him and Tsuen, after which T...

• Policeman (played by Ng Kwok-Kin) — minor

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Tsuen's mother → Tsuen (mother)
• Chung → Ming (Professional Patient And Doctor) — Their connection is shaped by the disputed use of the medicine and Ming's stated history of caring about Chung's children.

  Ming prescribed hepatitis medicine to Chung but did not know Chung intended it for his son. Ming says he witnessed the births of Chung's children and...

• Tsuen → Doctor examining Tsuen (Professional Patient And Examining Doctor) — The examination fails to reveal Tsuen's deteriorating condition, and he leaves the hospital without being admitted to the facility.

  At the hospital, the doctor examines Tsuen. Tsuen puts on a convincing show and is released without being sent to Castle Peak.

• Dr. Tsui → Teacher (Professional Connection) — Their connection is limited to the events around Tsuen's family and the later school crisis.

  The account identifies Teacher as Tsuen's son's teacher and says she allows Tsuen to take the boy on an unscheduled birthday trip; Dr. Tsui later beco...

• Dr. Tsui → Chung (Professional Psychiatrist And Patient) — Dr. Tsui investigates Chung's account and tries to understand the circumstances surrounding his son and the medication.

  Dr. Tsui follows Chung to his shanty, accompanies him and the police to the burial place, and questions Ming about the medicine prescribed to Chung.

• Dr. Tsui → Tsuen (Professional Psychiatrist And Patient) — Dr. Tsui supports Tsuen as his condition deteriorates, but cannot prevent the mob violence or the fatal school crisis.

  Dr. Tsui visits Tsuen, discusses the difficulties he faces after leaving the mental-health facility, and later finds him after he disappears from the...

• Dr. Tsui → Doggie (Professional Caregiver And Patient) — Dr. Tsui tries to help Doggie during two crises, but Doggie fatally strikes him with a cleaver after being alarmed by a photographer's flash.

  Dr. Tsui calms Doggie during the fish-market disturbance. Later, after Doggie's parents report that he wants to commit suicide, Dr. Tsui finds him at...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Tsuen → Policeman (Conflict Fatal Adversaries) — Their encounter at the school ends with Tsuen killing the policeman before Dr. Tsui shoots Tsuen.

  During the school crisis, a policeman breaks through a window, and Tsuen kills him with a cleaver.

• Tsuen → New husband of Tsuen's ex-wife (Conflict Physical Adversaries) — Their physical fight follows Tsuen's attempt to take the boy without the agreed arrangement.

  When Tsuen attempts to take his son on an unscheduled birthday trip, a physical confrontation breaks out between Tsuen and his ex-wife's new husband.

• Tsuen → Teacher (Social Patient And Son's Teacher) — A permitted birthday outing connects them before Tsuen's later violence at the school ends in her death.

  Teacher allows Tsuen to take his son on an unscheduled birthday trip. During the later school crisis, she tries to open the locked door, and Tsuen kil...

• Dr. Tsui → Ming (Conflict Confrontational Inquiry) — Their confrontation centers on Ming's prescription and what he knew about its intended use.

  Dr. Tsui confronts Ming about medicine prescribed for hepatitis that Chung intended for his son. Ming says he did not know the intended recipient was...

Story Analysis

Dr. Tsui's efforts to care for people with mental illness unfold alongside failures in support, escalating violence, and Miss Lau's decision to continue the work.

Plot Progression

1. Street-Level Care — Dr. Tsui calms Doggie at the fish market, attracting Miss Lau's attention to his work. His visits reveal the challenges faced by former patients such as Tsuen.
2. A Family's Unresolved Loss — Chung insists he did not kill his son and leads Dr. Tsui and police to the burial place. Dr. Tsui questions Ming about medicine intended for the child.
3. Tsuen's Deterioration — A dispute over Tsuen's unscheduled birthday outing is followed by increasingly alarming behavior at home. Although he is taken to hospital, he is released after convincing the examining doctor he is w...
4. The Story's Backlash — Miss Lau publishes a story about Tsuen to draw attention to inadequate mental-health care. Instead, neighbors form a mob and confront Tsuen and his mother.
5. Violence and Aftermath — The crisis moves from Tsuen's apartment to his son's school, where Tsuen kills Teacher and a policeman before Dr. Tsui shoots him. Later, Doggie kills Dr. Tsui at the fish market, and Miss Lau takes u...