[1] Raymond is a disturbed young man who escapes from a psychiatric hospital with a plot to exact revenge on his former teacher, whom he believes unjustly failed him on a high school exam 10 years earlier.
The failing grade kept him from graduating from high school, causing Raymond's life to begin a downward spiral for which he blames the teacher, Miss Mary Bloomquist.
In spite of the visions in his head and having been diagnosed as a “paranoiac”, Raymond does not seem especially threatening, presenting a calm (if somewhat distracted) demeanor marked by a notably polite manner.
He believes that Mary is taking early retirement because his return is too painful for her, but she straightens him out by revealing that it is her disillusionment with her abilities as a teacher that is the reason she's moving to England.
As he searches for her in the darkened school, Raymond's shouted, disconnected ramblings about “welfare money” and being called stupid, combined with the information he shared earlier about his troubled life, give Mary an inspiration.
As Mary begins to talk about the questions Raymond missed, two local police officers enter the room, having been sent by a phone call from the detective.