In the plot of the novel, the performance of the character's hidden depression can be displayed in a variety of ways, these ways can be either external behavior or internal psychological activities. The following are some common methods and extreme behaviors that the character may adopt to express his inner struggle.： ### 1. **Performance of external behavior** -**Social isolation**: The character may gradually reduce contact with friends and family, avoid social activities, and show a sense of alienation from the surrounding world. They may find excuses to get rid of the party, or appear absent-minded when getting along with others. -**Mood swings**: The character may show emotional instability, sometimes appearing calm, sometimes suddenly erupting with anger or sadness. This kind of emotional fluctuation often confuses the people around, and even mistakenly thinks that they are just “emotional.” -**Overwork or evasion**: The character may paralyze himself by overwork, or on the contrary, evade responsibility, showing procrastination and laziness. Both of these extreme behaviors are designed to cover up the inner pain. -**Self-harm**: The character may express his inner struggle through minor self-harm behaviors (such as scratching the skin and biting his nails). In more extreme cases, they may engage in more serious self-harm behaviors, such as cutting their wrists or overdosing on drugs. -**Sleep and diet problems**: The character may exhibit insomnia or excessive sleep, loss of appetite or overeating. These physiological changes are often external manifestations of depression. ### 2. **Performance of inner psychological activities** -**Self-denial**: A character may constantly deny himself in his heart, think that he is worthless, or even feel that he is a burden on others. This kind of self-denying psychological activity is often accompanied by a strong sense of loneliness and helplessness. -**Memories and reflections**: The character may frequently recall past failures or painful experiences, and fall into endless reflection and self-blame. This kind of psychological activity tends to exacerbate their depression. -**Fantasy and escape**: Characters may escape reality through fantasy, imagining that they are in a completely different world, or temporarily forget the pain by indulging in certain activities (such as games, movies). -**Thoughts of death**: In extreme cases, the character may have suicidal thoughts and even start planning how to end his life. This kind of psychological activity is often a manifestation of depression reaching its peak. ### 3. **Expression of extreme behavior** -**Self-harm or suicide attempt**: The character may express his inner despair through self-harm or suicide attempt. This kind of behavior is often an extreme way for them to express their inner pain in words. -**Sudden violent behavior**: In some cases, the character may suddenly erupt due to long-term suppressed emotions and take violent actions against others or himself. This behavior is often an external manifestation of their inner struggle. -**Extreme self-punishment**: The character may express his inner self-blame and pain through extreme self-punishment behaviors (such as hunger strike, excessive exercise). This behavior is often accompanied by a strong sense of self-denial and guilt. -**Give up everything**: The character may suddenly give up everything he once cherished, such as work, hobbies, and interpersonal relationships, showing a kind of complete despair for life. ### 4. **Symbolic behavior** -**Destruction of items**: The character may express his denial of the past and inner pain by destroying items related to his past (such as photos, letters). -**Escape**: The character may suddenly choose to escape from the current living environment, trying to escape the inner pain by changing the environment. This kind of behavior is often a manifestation of their inability to face reality. -**Extreme self-sacrifice**: The character may express his inner struggle and pain through extreme self-sacrifice behaviors (such as taking all responsibilities for others and giving up his own happiness). ### 5. **Verbal hints** -**Negative remarks**: The character may frequently make negative remarks, such as “I don't care about anything anymore”, “I'm too tired to live”, “No one cares about me”, etc. These remarks are often an external manifestation of their inner pain. -**Metaphors and symbols**: Characters may express their inner struggles through metaphors and symbols, such as talking about themes such as death, darkness, and loneliness, or expressing their inner pain through literary forms such as poetry and diaries. In the novel, through the description of these behaviors and inner activities, the author can deeply portray the depression of the characters, so that the reader can feel their inner struggle and pain. At the same time, these manifestations can also promote the development of the plot, reveal the inner world of the characters, and enhance the depth and tension of the story.