is the system as repressive as ken kessey would have us believe ? have we no other choices than rebellion?

I don't really know what conditions are like now in mental institutions but certainly this story, in the context of the time, seemed very real. The system was meant to mould patience into a specific role rather than rehabilitate them. Within the time and context of the story ,rebellion seemed a necessary if futile option. Perhaps freedom exacts a price and our protagonist pays dearly for a glimpse of it.