Characteristics of unreached perfection in life

Merrick is put into a hospital. By not curing Merrick, Dr. Treves realizes that perfection might not be what he had previously defined.
Merrick wants to be normal since he is considered a freak by the world. After finding out that he was not ever going to be normal, Merrick takes solace in the church and female friends. Although he wants a mistress, even his female friend must refuse. His disappointments in life are always challenged with graceful wit. As a result, Merrick finds that he has every normal human emotion available.
Dr. Treves and Joseph Merrick do not reach their goals but learn to live with the life given them. Merrick figures this out sooner than Dr. Treves. The doctor does not realize how much he is like Merrick until Merrick’s death. While Merrick had hours and hours to meditate on his life, Dr. Treves did not start thinking about his life until Merrick dies. Only then does Dr. Treves realize that he was just as crippled as Merrick. The only difference was Merrick had a physical deformity, whereas Dr. Treves had a mental deformity. Dr. Treves leaves the play with a better understanding of life through Merrick.
Bibliography
Pomerance, Bernard. (1979). The Elephant Man. New York: Samuel French.