One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Scene 18 Summary

  • Mr. Harding and some guys sit around playing a game of blackjack for cigarettes. They're surprisingly calm and organized.
  • One patient walks by and we see Nurse Ratched in the nurse's station wearing a neck brace. She speaks kindly to the patient and asks him how he's doing.
  • When the patient sits down, he tells the gang that McMurphy is "out."
  • Apparently, McMurphy beat up two orderlies who were taking him to another part of the hospital and ran off. Mr. Harding argues, saying that McMurphy is in the ward upstairs and is "as meek as a lamb."
  • The other patients refuse to believe him. Meanwhile, Chief listens in and looks disturbed by the whole conversation.