Dawson's depiction of autism, "Dawson is alive to the subtleties of Victor's predicament. She uses his "otherness" to expose closely guarded secrets. Itard is agitated by similarities between Victor's instincts and his own. The reader can spot a putative case of Asperger's syndrome in Itard's inability to form emotional attachments and in his pedantic pursuit of detail at the expense of the bigger picture. Madame Guerin's guilt and grief for her own son's death surface through intimate contact with Victor. Man, suggests Dawson, refuting Itard, cannot be made into something he wasn't meant to be. You can remove the wild boy from the forest, but inside he'll always be in there, always running." References External links Interview with Jill Dawson on Asperger’s Syndrome Interview in The Big Issue on Wild Boy 2003 novels Hodder & Stoughton books Novels set in Paris Books about autism Novels based on actual events Novels set in the 1800s Biographical novels