“A Streetcar Named Desire” and “Regeneration” both feature studies of madness that arise from the social pressures placed on the characters. Insanity is defined as a “state of loss of mind” and “applicable to any degree of mental disturbance ranging from mild delirium to wandering to distraction.” Throughout the texts we see “mentally ill,” “mentally deranged” characters who appear completely distracted or delusional. The major social cause of this madness of the characters of “Regeneration” is the Great War of 1914-1918. Soldiers are treated for shell casing at Craiglockhart. Their "sick minds" are the result of shell shock from the trauma of trench warfare, knowing that once they recover, they will be sent back to the front line to endure it all again. “Sick minds” are the conditions that Rivers, the doctor who treats these mad soldiers, is concerned with in Barker’s “Regeneration.” He knows that the young men of the Great War, brought to Craiglockhart, were the result of being constantly bombarded by shells, while sitting in a rat-infested trench and up to their knees in churned mud and l rainwater, soaking feet and uniforms, knowing that if ordered to "go over the top" imminent death across "No Man's Land" will likely result. Rivers therefore knows that there is a social cause for the madness that manifests itself in the young soldiers brought back from the trenches. Additionally, there is a double-edged sword: if he can help heal their minds, they will return to face new conflicts. Barker explores Rivers' study of therapy with the mad and helps us see that war itself is the culprit. The same symptoms of insanity described in "Regeneration" among the soldiers are visible middle of paper......he tried to eat, the taste and smell reappeared". On the other hand, Blanche has difficulty shaking and to relive the internalization of the "war" in her mind "She sits trembling, taking a drink of gratitude" Works Cited What's in a Name A Brief Foray into History? Madness in England and the United States, Janet A. Tighe, PhD, http://www.jaapl.org/content/33/2/252.fullDonald Pease, Tennessee Williams: a tribute, p840Debbie Swan, a message unexpected from our past, https://www.k-state.edu/english/westmank/regeneration/homosexuality.swann.htmlThe White Feather Campaign: A Fight Against Masculinity During World War I, Peter J. Hart, Student Pulse (2010, Vol. 2 NO.) http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/151/the-white-feather-campaign-a-struggle-with-masculinity-during-world-war-iMacro History and Timeline worldwide, http://www.fsmitha.com/h2/ch03-2.htm