Chief Bromden's background has had a profound impact on his character. Society never treated him with the respect he deserved, and not being able to face up to it, he was forced into hiding out in a mental institution. The neglect from society throughout his life turned the Chief into a paranoid, insecure and reserved man.
The reader gets a glimpse of Chief Bromden's paranoia in the beginning of the novel. His paranoia mostly takes the form of hallucinations, he believes there are hidden machines in the hospital that physically and psychologically control the patients. "I creep along the wall quiet as dust in my canvas shoes, but they got special sensitive equipment detects my fear and they all look up, all three at once, eyes glittering out of the black faces," this is a quote taken from pg.9, and it reveals the Chief's way of looking at thing.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (novel)
Bed sheet attachments, to prevent sheet from slipp...
English: Bed sheet Français : Draps de lit Deutsc...Chief's perspective reveals that the black boys become aware of his presence because of the special sensitive equipment that senses fear, but it may just be the way Chief is creeping along wall that makes the black boys stare at him the way they do. Chief's paranoia is caused by his unwillingness to conform to society. He searches for reasons that he can apply to his everyday situations to help him cope with society.
"One of these days I'll quit straining and let myself go completely, lose myself in the fog the way some of the other Chronics have." This quote, which can be found on pg.42, reveals another one of Chief's hallucinations. The fog represents Chief's medicated state and his need to hide from reality. When Chief does not want to deal with his surroundings he looses himself in the drugs and blames the Big Nurse for fogging...