One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

I just finished this classic by Ken Kesey, and although I'd seen the movie (20 years ago), I had forgotton a lot of details between McMurphy being committed to the Indian running through the field.

It's an intense read. Kesey carefully paints the other mental patients not as crazy, but rather unable to relate or cope with the outside world.  

I have never been so interested in a book and at the same time dreaded to read further, but I definitely felt this internal conflict after a certain conversation...the conversation was between McMurphy and another patient when he learns, unlike prison, he doesn't have a release date from the mental institution. Nurse Ratched decides.

Much of the first part of the book was McMurphy interacting with the other patients, a lot of laughs on his part, going out of his way to find the best part of the strangest patients.

After 'the conversation,' you feel him cracking, every patient getting on his nerves with their unique quirks, grating on him. 

It's like if you were put into a room with six mentally challenged people.  It is probably fun helping them out and encouraging them and I'm sure they're having fun. But once someone locks the door, and you have all those eyes looking at you, suddenly playing Connect Four all day is kinda fucked up.