The woman was the doctors daughter. The typical story of a man finding a good husband for his daughter while protecting her from brutish men.
A common practice in barbaric societies is the need to keep women hidden and locked up, like in many Islamic countries today.
I also wondered this, but it seems implausible - the Doctor was hold up in a 'fortress' for lack of a better term, why would he keep the woman in a cell instead of having her as a companion in the hospital? Surely she was equally as safe, if not safer, in the hospital under his supervision, and would be an alternative to living his life alone?
share