The Lives They Left Behind

I'm reading The Lives They Left Behind - suitcases from a US state hospital attic 1869-1995. It is  profoundly moving and ..."is a fascinating glimpse into a closed world, where "incurables" were sent as a last result, with no expectation that they would ever return to society. The haunting thing about the suitcase owners is that it's so easy to identify with them" (Newsweek).