Story so far
Victor worked in psychological services across the hall from Troy, holding the key to his locked office and promising to commend his response to Silo Twelve's destruction. Anna Thurman later identified Victor as an assumed name and credited him with planning most of the system and writing the Order and original Pact. She said he saw himself as a steward and compared himself to Noah. According to Erskine, Victor successfully argued for silos instead of an endless nanotechnology arms race, fearing an uncontrollable epidemic and catastrophic panic even from the announcement of a man-made threat. Erskine described him as gifted at understanding minds but poor at communicating with people, and said he was fond of Donald and thought the world would be better with people like him in charge.
Anna reported that Victor became obsessed with the first lost silo, blamed himself, and was troubled that probabilistic predictions could not tell him exactly where and when events would occur. Erskine recalled his distress over the treatment of the men across the hall and his distinction between doing what seemed logical and having the courage to do what was right. Victor opposed terminating Silo Eighteen. Anna said he wanted Donald awakened because of something significant in his report; the account Donald received described an unsuccessful argument to wake him. Donald later read the annotations as directing attention to someone who remembered the past, while Paul Thurman attributed the decision to conduct another reset to Victor having prevailed. Donald remembers Eighteen's high ranking as a reason Victor fought for it.
Victor shot himself, and his body was placed in deep freeze after a ceremony attended by five people. Anna said he was found at his desk surrounded by silo notes, with Donald's report on top; she did not know why he killed himself. His message, signed Vincent Wayne DiMarco, identifies a woman who remembers as an explanation for one facility's unusual unrest, questions whether saving humanity was a mistake, and leaves the final shift and its decision to Thurman. Donald interprets the message as a suicide note and recalls Victor's uncertainty about making that decision. Most recently, he remembers Victor as the head of heads who shot himself over an uprising in Eighteen. The exact motive remains filtered through those accounts and recollections.
Appearance
A gray-haired psychiatrist.
Role
A deceased architect of the silo system whose writings, research, and opposition to terminating Eighteen continue to inform Donald’s understanding of its purpose.
Relationships
Anna Thurman — Anna Thurman worked with Victor and recounts his role in the system, his efforts to save Eighteen, and the circumstances of his death.
Erskine — Erskine remembers Victor’s advocacy for the silo plan and his later moral distress.
The Silo — Victor fought to save Silo Eighteen, The Silo, which Donald remembers then ranking near the top of the list.
Sources — 63 recorded facts, by chapter
Chapter 92
- Victor works in the psych office across the hall from Troy.
Chapter 96
- Victor has a desk in the Office for Psychological Services across the hall from Troy.
Chapter 102
- Victor is a gray-haired psychiatrist who holds the key to Troy’s locked office.
- Victor estimates that everyone remaining in Silo Twelve will be dead within days.
- Victor promises to commend Troy in his report.
- Victor works across the hall, where he can look up at Troy.
Chapter 104
- A doctor from Victor’s office watches the serving line and tables during the meal.
Chapter 119
- Anna says Victor is not his real name.
- Anna confirms that the Victor she worked with is the man who worked across the hall from Donald.
- Anna says Victor saw himself as a steward and once compared himself to Noah.
- Anna believes Victor was fond of Donald and says he spoke about him often.
- Anna credits Victor with planning most of the system and writing the Order and original Pact.
- Anna reports that Victor died by shooting himself at his desk two days earlier.
Chapter 120
- Anna says she does not know why Victor killed himself.
- Anna says Victor became obsessed with the first lost silo and blamed himself.
- Anna says Victor claimed he could foresee certain events as probabilistic certainties.
- Anna says Victor was distressed by his inability to predict exactly when and where events would occur.
- Anna says Victor was found at his desk surrounded by silo notes with Donald’s report on top.
- Anna says Victor had been investigating Silo Eighteen and opposed terminating it.
- Anna says Victor wanted Donald awakened because he thought Donald’s report had identified something significant.
- Anna says Victor obtained the gun from a crate on her level while she was there without her hearing him.
Chapter 124
- Victor’s funeral is about to take place.
- Donald remembers fearing Victor as a watchful man who dispensed drugs and manipulated him, but recognizes that first-shift paranoia shaped this impression.
Chapter 125
- Victor took his own life.
- Victor’s body is placed into deep freeze following a ceremony attended by five people.
- Victor served on Donald’s shift.
- Erskine says Victor was fond of Donald.
- Erskine describes Victor as gifted at understanding other minds but poor at communicating with people.
Chapter 126
- According to Erskine, Victor successfully advocated the silo plan over developing nano countermeasures.
- According to Erskine, Victor argued that an endless nano arms race would eventually produce an uncontrollable epidemic.
- According to Erskine, Victor argued that awareness of a man-made epidemic would cause catastrophic panic and violence.
- According to Erskine, Victor believed terrorists could cause collapse merely by announcing their work.
- Erskine recalls Victor expressing distress at what was being done to the men across the hall.
- Erskine places Victor’s expression of near-regret after Donald’s first shift and the trouble with Silo Twelve.
- According to Erskine, Victor thought the world would be better with people like Donald in charge.
- According to Erskine, Victor contrasted doing what he considered logical with having the courage to do what was right.
Chapter 127
- Donald believes his own selfishness contradicts Victor’s favorable assumptions about him.
Chapter 131
- Victor was awakened after Thurman and Erskine under the crisis protocol.
- According to Thurman’s account, Victor believed Donald’s old report held the key to stopping Silo Eighteen’s violence.
- According to the account Donald received, Victor unsuccessfully argued for Donald to be awakened.
Chapter 132
- Donald suspects Victor took a firearm from a crate in the storeroom.
Chapter 133
- According to Sneed, Victor carefully screened psychotropic drug use among administrative personnel.
Chapter 134
- According to Thurman, Victor favored another reset of Silo Eighteen.
- Donald interprets Victor’s annotations as an attempt to draw attention to a person who remembers the past.
Chapter 138
- Thurman attributes the decision to begin the reset to Vic having won.
Chapter 139
- Victor left clues that helped Donald reach his decision to die.
Chapter 141
- While losing consciousness, Donald thinks he hears Victor’s voice but cannot distinguish a dream from a memory.
Chapter 152
- Victor’s message is signed Vincent Wayne DiMarco.
- Victor was already dead when Donald awoke for his second shift.
- Victor’s message says a woman who remembers explains the unusual turmoil at one facility.
- Victor’s message says he obtained a gun.
- Victor questions whether saving humanity was a mistake.
- Victor’s message leaves the final shift and its decision to Thurman.
Chapter 156
- Donald considers the possibility that Victor arranged his new position before dying.
Chapter 166
- Donald remembers storing Victor’s body as a funeral rather than an ordinary suspension procedure.
Chapter 167
- Donald intends to inspect Victor’s locker for possible secrets.
Chapter 173
- Donald recalls that Victor fought to save silo eighteen because it ranked near the top of the silo list.
- Donald recalls that Victor had become unsure he could make a particular decision before killing himself.
Chapter 178
- Donald remembers Victor shooting himself in the head.
Chapter 183
- Donald believes his planned action differs from what Victor hoped he would do in charge.
Chapter 185
- Donald recalls Victor’s suicide note to Thurman.
Chapter 188
- Victor wrote about experiments in which abused prisoners became abusers after exchanging roles with guards.
Chapter 224
- Donald remembers that Victor, the head of heads, shot himself over an uprising in silo eighteen.