Holmes was charming and gracious, but something about him made Belknap uneasy. He could not have defined it. Indeed, for the next several decades alienists and their successors would find themselves hard-pressed to describe with any precision what it was about men like Holmes that could cause them to seem warm and ingratiating but also telegraph the vague sense that some important element of humanness was missing.
Holmes was a man who exuded charm and grace, captivating those around him. However, despite his appealing demeanor, Belknap felt an unsettling presence that he couldn’t quite articulate. This disquiet was not unique to Belknap; it was a sensation that many would grapple with, especially those in the fields of psychology and criminology. Holmes, like many individuals who mask darker intentions, seemed engaging yet left others feeling that something vital about...
