Chapter 235: Dante's Questionnaire! Beverly - Dr. Wolfe, Let's Do an Experiment Together!
Just as Chuck was reading Congressman Underwood's passionate speech, the phone rang. He picked it up and saw it was Leonard Jr.
"Chuck, my mom asked me to invite you over for dinner tomorrow night."
Leonard Jr.'s voice came from the other end of the line, a mixture of joy, bitterness, and worry. Without Chuck asking, Leonard Jr. explained. "I didn't dare ask why, but I'm afraid it's because of Sheldon."
Inviting Chuck to dinner was a happy occasion.
But because of Sheldon Jr., it made him, the legitimate son, jealous and upset. He was also worried that his mother had upset his best friend and idol. His feelings were incredibly complicated.
"Okay,"
Chuck didn't refuse.
He didn't think Beverly would stand up for Sheldon Jr., and even if she did, he didn't care.
Nothing more was said that night.
The next evening.
Chuck drove Monica and Howard Jr. to the Hofstadter's house on time.
"Monica, could you talk to my mom and ask if I can stay here a little longer, or maybe we could just transfer my school here?"
Howard Jr. asked his cousin in the passenger seat from the back.
"I already told you, I won't get involved in this,"
Monica said with a headache. "You know what kind of person Aunt is. If I say anything, she'll definitely yell at me. Everyone knows you're her precious baby."
"I'm not a baby!"
Little Howard was a little embarrassed. Seeing Monica give him a 'figure it out yourself' look, he quickly changed the subject and continued to plead. "But I can't bear to part with Leonard. I don't have any friends. It was only through your introduction that I met Leonard. You know, my dad has left me now..."
"Nonsense!"
Monica couldn't stand this and interrupted him impatiently. "I'll talk to Aunt about it, but I can't guarantee what will happen. Don't get your hopes up too high."
"That's enough!"
Little Howard said happily. "I'll chime in from the sidelines. I'm already 12 years old. That arrogant Sheldon is already in college at 12. I'll be there soon too. I'll have to leave her eventually."
"You dare to compare yourself to little Sheldon?"
Monica scoffed.
"Why wouldn't I dare?"
Howard Jr. laughed. "Didn't you see how he acted yesterday? So what if he's all smart? He's still just a kid—all he does is cry!"
Monica couldn't help but look at Chuck, who was driving, her eyes full of sympathy. "Poor kid, look what you've done to him!"
"That's funny. You actually think you can leave your mom?"
Chuck said expressionlessly.
"Why can't I?"
Howard Jr.'s smile faltered, and he retorted defiantly. "Once I go to college, I can leave completely. In fact, if Monica can persuade my mom, I can even leave her when I go to high school. Then I can really show off my skills with the ladies. After all, no girl likes a mama's boy."
"That's funny. You actually think your aunt is your biggest obstacle with women?"
Monica couldn't help but laugh as she mimicked Chuck's tone, mocking her little cousin.
"...My mother is definitely the biggest obstacle—how can she not be?"
Little Howard, slightly annoyed by the laughter, puffed out his skinny chest and boasted. "I'm multi-talented, girls actually fall for that. Even if they don't, I have a whole repertoire—I can cast a wide net and catch many fish, someone will always take the bait."
"Keep that positive attitude,"
Monica scoffed. "Your cousin Ross thought he was a ladies' man back then too."
"Ross was pretty awesome—not only did he marry a lesbian, but he also got her pregnant."
Little Howard grinned inappropriately. "The only failure was not being able to get both of them."
Monica immediately looked at Little Howard with disgust.
Little Howard still needed her help, so he immediately smiled obsequiously and stopped talking.
They arrived at the Hofstadter's house.
Little Howard immediately went to play with Little Leonard.
"Dr. Wolfe, thank you for coming,"
Beverly greeted him formally.
"I'm sorry, how is Sheldon now?"
Monica immediately said apologetically. "Chuck didn't mean it either. He never intended to hurt Sheldon. Perhaps this is just their way of getting along..."
"Sheldon is fine. His recent emotional changes have given my research a great breakthrough,"
Beverly nodded.
"What!"
Monica was stunned. "You invited Chuck here this time not to stand up for Sheldon?"
"Of course not."
Beverly pushed up her glasses and said calmly. "I've always felt that Dr. Wolfe's way of interacting with him is very good, and it provides the greatest impetus for Sheldon's growth."
Saying this, she nodded to Chuck. "Here, on behalf of Sheldon and myself, I thank Dr. Wolfe for your contribution!"
"You're welcome."
Chuck accepted the thanks readily.
"..."
Monica looked at the one who dared to thank and the other who dared to accept, and was completely speechless. "So the purpose of your invitation this time was to thank Chuck for his 'contribution'?"
"Of course not."
Beverly shook her head. "I know Dr. Wolfe isn't fond of these social customs. This is just a side note. I invited Dr. Wolfe here this time because I have a favor to ask."
"What is it?"
Chuck asked.
"Leonard should have told you I'm a neuroscientist, psychiatrist, and psychologist at Princeton,"
Beverly began, getting down to business. "My sister Diane is a well-known lawyer in Chicago, so I've always had a strong interest in criminal psychopaths and have been actively researching this area for years. As a neuropsychologist consultant in the New York District Attorney's office, I've handled a large number of cases and have gradually developed an idea that I'm working on. I need a real expert to assist me, and I'd like to do an experiment with you."
"Pfft!"
Monica spat out the water in her mouth upon hearing this.
The phrase "doing an experiment" had completely different connotations to her. She glanced at Beverly, knowing Chuck wouldn't do that kind of experiment with Beverly, but her expression remained strange.
"Okay,"
Chuck nodded.
"You can participate too,"
Beverly added calmly, noticing Monica's odd look. "The more participants the better."
"Cough cough."
Monica felt her throat, which had been sore from choking on water earlier, become even more uncomfortable, and her cough worsened. She couldn't bring herself to voice her complaints.
"Wait a moment,"
Beverly gestured, then got up to prepare.
"She's a consultant too?"
Monica asked curiously. "What can she advise on?"
"She talks to the accused to assess their capacity to stand trial, and then testifies as an expert witness to help jury members understand the legal responsibility of defending oneself in a state of mental illness,"
Chuck explained. Seeing Monica's confusion, he added in simpler terms. "She helps determine whether a criminal is mentally ill. For example, a serial killer—if he knows it's wrong, it means he's not insane; legally, he's mentally competent."
"That sounds like it could easily give bad guys excuses and reasons to escape legal punishment..."
Monica hesitated.
"You're right,"
Chuck nodded.
"I see..."
Monica looked around, and seeing that Beverly hadn't come over yet, she leaned closer to Chuck and whispered. "Then isn't she a bad person?"
"Legally, no."
Chuck shook his head. "Morally, she isn't either. Compared to typical neuropsychologists with vested interests, Dr. Beverly Hofstadter is simply a straightforward scholar with extremely high intelligence. In the records of the New York District Attorney's office, when she testified in court, she always sided with the prosecutor, judging the defendant to be of sound mind and fully capable of standing trial."
"Really?"
Monica was immediately relieved.
Nobody wants to be friends with someone who specializes in exonerating criminals, even if the other party is legally innocent.
Then she realized a problem. "Won't that cause issues? It's impossible for all criminals to be faking mental illness, right?"
"She didn't attend all the court appearances, only those she could confirm,"
Chuck explained. "For those she couldn't verify, she chose to avoid them."
"Wow! She's really amazing!"
Monica exclaimed.
"Just a prudent approach,"
Chuck nodded.
At that moment, Beverly walked over carrying a box. Monica noticed she was wearing gloves.
"What's this?"
Monica asked curiously.
"Experimental equipment,"
Beverly said, carefully opening the box. Then, with her gloved hands, she cautiously took out a dark, unsightly object and placed it on a mat already prepared on the table. "These are moldy crabapples. I had Leonard pick them up from the street."
She then took out three more items. "Hair from the drain, a dirty sock covered in mud, and a dead cockroach."
Monica leaned back, staring at Beverly incredulously. "What kind of experiment are you doing?"
She knew that Beverly, like Chuck and Sheldon, was a germaphobe. These things, which most people would avoid, were even more unacceptable to them.
"I want to know, which of these things would you eat?"
Beverly asked.
"Of course, I wouldn't choose any,"
Monica said, shaking her head repeatedly, covering her nose.
"Please respect science. Imagine you had to choose one to eat—what would you choose?"
Beverly reminded her. "Dr. Wolfe?"
"Cockroach, crabapple, hair, dirty sock,"
Chuck replied calmly.
"Very good, it seems you guessed the purpose of my experiment."
Beverly nodded, then looked at Monica. "Now I want you to do what Dr. Wolfe did—rank them in order of your willingness to eat them. Trust your intuition."
"My intuition tells me not to eat any of them,"
Monica complained. Seeing Beverly glancing at her, she glanced at the four items on the table again. "I choose the same as Chuck. Now can you tell me what the purpose of this experiment is?"
"Imagine you are the judge."
Beverly put the items away one by one, then said. "One day you have to sentence a photographer who runs an adult website, and a man who imprisoned women in a basement. Both defendants are disgusting, but if you sentence one to a longer sentence, does that mean the other is less deserving of punishment?"
"Of course, the predator deserves the harshest sentence!"
Monica shouted.
"Don't get agitated. We're just stating a fact—how do we quantify and sentence crimes?"
Beverly said calmly. "Currently, the law involves jury convictions and judges sentencing, but judges have far too much discretion, and the potential for manipulation is too great. This is extremely harmful. You should know about the recent news about judges colluding with private prisons to send thousands of minors to jail, right?"
"Of course I've heard,"
Monica complained. "One of them was only eight years old. He was imprisoned just for cursing at the principal. They wouldn't even let him hug his parents goodbye. It was later discovered that the judge was taking kickbacks from the private prison. It's outrageous!"
"This isn't an isolated case; there's an increasingly sophisticated profit-driven ecosystem."
Beverly adjusted her glasses. "Judges' discretion is a crucial link in this. Imagine if we quantified crimes and minimized judges' discretion—wouldn't such things happen much less often?"
"Your experiment has this effect?"
Upon hearing this, Monica immediately became interested in the experiment and was no longer resistant.
"Of course!"
Beverly raised her chin. "Through a questionnaire survey, using big data, we can let everyone in America decide which crimes deserve harsher sentences, stripping judges of their excessive discretion. That way, after the jury verdict, the sentencing will reflect the collective will of everyone, and the result will inevitably be fairer!"
"Impressive!"
Monica was speechless, then gave a thumbs up.
She really hadn't expected that Beverly, who was so much like Sheldon, wasn't a purely intellectual elitist, but actually had a side that was willing to trust in the general public.
"Chuck, what do you think?"
"The idea is good, but there are many problems."
Chuck said calmly. "First of all, this idea of quantifying sentencing itself reduces the power of judges, harms the interests of other powerful people, and directly contradicts certain founding principles. It simply cannot be passed. Secondly, this questionnaire survey has a great risk."
"What risk?"
Beverly frowned.
She admitted that Chuck's first point made sense, and she had thought of it too, but she found the idea of 'achieving what seems impossible' itself very tempting. If anyone could do it, what would be the point of having her?
"Have you run this questionnaire before?"
Chuck countered with a question.
"Yes, I have,"
Beverly nodded. "The Depravity and Brutality Measurement Test, abbreviated as Dante's Questionnaire."
Chuck immediately pulled out his phone and searched. Monica leaned over to look and casually read out some questions. "Killing to protect loved ones is understandable, even if premeditated? Is taking pleasure in torture worse than murder?"
Seeing this, she couldn't stand it anymore and complained. "These questions are definitely Dante-esque!"
Dante wrote the Divine Comedy trilogy, including the Inferno, and Monica thought naming these hellish questions after Dante was quite fitting.
"Currently, tens of thousands of people in over a dozen countries have participated in the survey. In fact, this number is increasing exponentially recently,"
Beverly said with considerable pride. "I think it's because of word-of-mouth; it's become viral."
"Shut it down!"
Chuck said.
"Why?"
Beverly frowned. "What's the problem or risk?"
"If I'm not mistaken, many of these tens of thousands of people will become serial killers,"
Chuck warned.
"What?!"
Monica was stunned.
"You mean someone's using this survey to recruit psychopaths?"
Beverly was taken aback for a moment, then immediately understood, frowning as she said. "Aren't you overthinking it?"
"Am I overthinking it?"
Chuck looked at her calmly. "If I'm not mistaken, the countries with the most participants in the online survey, and the fastest growth, are America, England, Australia, Japan, Canada..."
Beverly: "..."
(End of Chapter)
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