As of now most of us have beaten 343's Halo 4, we've witnessed the activation of the Forerunner Composer and it's inhumane power. We've [i]'killed'[/i] the Didact and said farewell to Cortana. Ultimately, Halo 4 has turned another direction with story-telling; whether you agree it was good or not, Halo 4 has been embedded in multiple novels ([i]The Forerunner Saga[/i] and [i]The Kilo-Five Trilogy[/i], to say the least). As Halo 4 begins, we see Dr. Halsey and a mysterious interrogator, which I assume is ONI. The discuss the SPARTAN-II program and it's original reason for creation; to end the civil war between the UNSC and the Insurrectionists. But they interrogator mentions something quite interesting, "Records show Spartans routinely exhibited mildly sociopathic tendencies, difficulty with socialization, furthermore..." (Halo 4; Prologue). [i]Sociopathic tendencies...[/i], wow, that is alot to say about the original SPARTAN-II operatives, but is that to much to say? No, not one bit, it only makes sense for SPARTANs to carry such a heavy weight. But, what really is [i]sociopathic tendencies[/i]? Four letters, ASPD, or Antisocial personality disorder. ASPD is often characterized by "...a pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood." Now, this doesn't sound like the Chief, he doesn't violate others rights. But, then again, he is military personnel, trained to withstand such hardships as a SPARTAN-II. But, that is just one basic definition of ASPD, one other one, that I believe the Chief is have is the fourth definition. "The occurrence of antisocial behavior is not exclusively during the course of schizophrenia or a manic episode" (DSM-IV-TR, fourth edition). Now, schizophrenia is a heavy word, a heavy claim, but it all makes sense. Schizophrenia is often coupled with "auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking" and is also "characterized by a breakdown of thought processes and by poor emotional responsiveness" (Schizophrenia, Wikipedia). Now, we all know the Master Chief has poor emotional response, often saying little to nothing when Cortana begins to break down, such simple words he does say, "No", "That won't happen", or "I promise", are small ways of attempting to be emotional towards Cortana's condition. But, I believe the Chief experiences [i]" auditory hallucinations" and "bizarre delusions".[/i] I believe the Chief is going insane. By Halo 4 the Master Chief is in his early 40s, and most UNSC personnel know this. Captain Del Rio mentions Chief "is a aging Spartan" and that he wasn't going to listen to him or Cortana about staying on the planet. Chief has been through alot, so it isn't hard to believe his mind is deteriorating. During Shutdown, Chief hears the Didact speaking to him, he tells Cortana to trace the signal, but she doesn't hear anything: "The others scatter like embers over sand. And yet the Librarian's champion is unmoved." John-117: "Cortana, where's this coming from?" Cortana: "Where's what coming from? Didact: "The mantle of responsibility for the galaxy shelters all, human. But only the Forerunners are its masters." John-117: "The Didact's voice." Cortana: "I'm not picking up anything, Chief." John-117: "He's there. Keep trying." That is just one example of what the Chief 'hears' during the remainder of the Halo 4 campaign, but by the level Midnight, the Master Chief is inside the Didact ship, the [i]Mantle's Approach[/i], all by himself, well, save for Cortana. No one knows what Chief saw or fought inside the Didact's ship, or inside the Composer. I also think Chief has 'sees' the Didact and the fight they 'have', I also believe he 'sees' Cortana holding the Didact long enough for the Chief to kill him. But, at the end of Halo 4, we hear the Didact's voice, most believe he survives. I believe that Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 is suffering from schizophrenia and ASPD, to say the least. I believe his fight with the Didact was a bizarre delusion and auditory hallucination. I believe the Chief is going insane. What do you think? [Edited on 11.24.2012 7:09 AM PST]