Why Dr Kreizler?

"And, like almost everyone who worked for Laszlo, the boy was devoted to his patron, despite that peculiar quality of emotional distance that made Kreizler so perplexing to many who knew him."

Dr. Kreizler is a late nineteenth century psychologist and one of the more complex characters in the Alienist books. Aside from his superior intelligence, strong sense of morals, gentlemanly nature, open-mindedness, and subtle sense of humour, his dealings with the troubled and disadvantaged children that he devotes his life to at the Kreizler Institute make him one of the most admirable characters in the books as well. I'll let Stevie, Laszlo's ward in the books, sum up how he makes his young 'charges' feel; "His eyes sparkled with a message of hope, and the smallest, quickest smile told me to have courage. All in a rush and for the first time in my life, I felt like someone over the age of fifteen truly gave a goddamn about my existence." (AoD 70)