Dario Salvatore

**Dario Salvatore** was a patient at Lucia State Hospital who became a victim of Mildred Ratched's interference at the hospital. He was portrayed by Daniel Di Tomasso.

## Biography

Dario arrived at Lucia State Hospital while it was under the management of Dr. Richard Hanover, and was a current patient at the time of Mildred Ratched's arrival. His brother had committed him to the hospital after he entered a Woolworth's store weeping and manipulating his exposed genitals. Dr. Hanover diagnosed him with Exhibitionistic Disorder.

He spoke Italian, and seemed to have a working but incomplete grasp of English comprehension.

By the time of Mildred's arrival, Dario was petitioning the board of the hospital, with the help of Father Murphy, who understood Italian, to allow him weekend furlough to visit his brother, who was dangerously ill with influenza. Head nurse Betsy Bucket informed him that he would need to continue Dr. Hanover's recommended treatment regimen in order to be taken seriously in his petition. Dario enthusiastically agreed to this arrangement, though seemed slightly confused as to what exactly he was agreeing to.

A short time later, however, he received news that his brother had died, causing him to break down in his grief. Due to the timing of his breakdown coinciding with the visitation of Governor Wilburn and associated press, he was sedated by Bucket in order to appear calm and docile to the public.

On the day of the visitation, he was openly crying and muttering in Italian while he stood in line to receive his medication, and spent most of the day seated and near-catatonic from the sedation. When Wilburn attempted to take a publicity photo with him, he was unresponsive, and flinched away from the flash of the cameras. Unbeknownst to him, nurse trainee Dolly explained to Mildred that his brother's death was sad but wouldn't have made a difference with his petition - while the hospital might have been willing to permit his furlough, his nephew had called and said the family did not want him released.

Knowing the false hope he was being fed by the hospital, Mildred approached him later that day, opening up about her family and the loss of her own brother to appeal to him in his grief. Continuing, she explained that while the hospital staff wanted to give him hope, he deserved the mercy of the truth - he was never going to leave the hospital, as his family never wanted to see him again. Dario was distraught at this news, beginning to cry, but became determined when Mildred told him of the letter opener on Hanover's desk, answering yes when she asked if he would like her to take him there immediately.

Following Mildred, he exchanged a last look with her in Hanover's office before being left alone in the room. Picking up the letter opener from the desk, he entered the adjacent bathroom, and after a moment of looking at his reflection in the mirror, slit his throat, taking his own life.

His body was almost immediately discovered by Dr. Hanover and Mildred, with the latter hiding it in a laundry cart and transporting it to a furnace where his remains were burned and hidden.

After his death, Dr. Hanover claimed he had been released in order to attend his brother's funeral in an attempt to divert attention from his sudden disappearance. This was something of a failure, however, as his niece contacted the hospital in order to speak with him, and informed Betsy that he had not been in attendance at the funeral.

## Trivia

* In the Pilot Director's Cut, the Italian phrase he speaks to Father Murphy during his petition appeal translates as "My sick brother... I will explain."
* According to Betsy Bucket during his petition appeal, he had been prescribed saltpeter tablets, which at the time were believed to work as an anaphrodisiac.
* The Italian phrase he mutters while taking his medication translates as "My brother... my brother... I want to be with you."

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 S01E01: Pilot/Director's Cut
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 S01E01: Pilot
3. ↑ S01E03: Angel of Mercy