Meredith was running out of ideas for recreational activities during the sessions.

She was currently walking along Gotham's streets. She didn't have anything particularly planned for the day, so she wondered how productively the hour would go. Maybe Arthur would be more open to just talking today.

Something from the side of her view caught her eye. It was a candy store. She took a detour from her usual route and walked over to the inviting place. There was nothing like a nice treat to boost her mood a little.

There were so many selections of sweets that she didn't know where to look. But she didn't have the money to overindulge like she wanted, so she opted for buying a small handful of cherry lollipops.

Meredith continued back to the hospital and checked in at the front desk. She went to Arthur's door and stepped inside the room.

"Hello, Arthur."

"Hello."

She sat in her usual chair. "Tomorrow's your seventh day with me and that means you're almost halfway through the program. So to celebrate, I'd like to offer you a little reward," she said, holding out a lollipop for him. He accepted it.

"Did you write in your journal while I was gone?" Meredith asked.

"Yeah, a little bit."

"That's excellent. Can you tell me another joke today?"

Arthur nodded and stuck the candy in the side of his mouth. He pulled his out his journal and flipped to a random page.

"The funniest joke of all is…?"

Given his dark sense of humor, she tried to come up with a guess, but couldn't think of a fitting answer.

"I don't know, Arthur. What is it?"

"Life."

"Why do you say that?" she questioned.

"Because you begin life not knowing who you are or why the hell you were born. Then you get a job to make money, even though you don't care about the money; you just don't wanna feel sad anymore. Then you get fired, and your meds stop working, and people stab you in the back."

"Yes, that would certainly make anyone's life awful. I can't disagree with that," Meredith replied.

Arthur had expected her to sugarcoat her words or come up with some sort of shallow lie, but she didn't. She spoke with honesty, which was something Arthur appreciated.

"Life is very unfair sometimes," she continued. "I've been through enough to know how shitty life can be. But over the years, I've learned that you have to seek out good things to counteract the bad. You have to find people to care about, hobbies to enjoy, or events to look forward to. We all need to live for something meaningful—always. Or else, nothing means anything."

"Something meaningful…" he echoed, processing her words.

"Yeah, like a purpose. I think everyone desires some kind of purpose," she answered. "What do you desire the most, Arthur?"

"I want to make people happy."

"Could you explain that to me?"

"It's been my goal for as long as I can remember. I was always influenced by my mother to somehow make this happen. She even called me "Happy"—never used my real name. She used to say that over time, people forget how to smile and laugh. And she told me that I would be the one to remind them how to smile again, because I was special.

"Over and over; she put that shit in my head over and over again 'till I started to believe in it too. So I set out to become a comedian. I went for that dream and tried to make it my reality. And look where that landed me."

Meredith wanted to tell Arthur to look on the bright side, or give him one of the classic "It'll all get better soon" mottos. But what "bright" side was there? She knew he would be locked away for a long time, because he was a criminal and that was his consequent fate. What could she possibly say that was encouraging, yet realistic?

"Well, I think you've already made this come true in a way. Your Joker persona is very popular with the people now," she commented.

Her statement reminded Arthur of the riot from that one crazy night. How could he have almost forgotten the best day of his life? The sudden car crash after his arrest knocked him into a stupor, and upon waking, his experience felt like a delusion.

But the love from his admirers was real. Arthur recalled their smiles and cries of joy. The physical sensation of an adrenaline rush coursed through his entire body and sped up his heart rate, all while blazing fires danced in the background. It was truly a glorious moment.

"Yeah, you're right," he affirmed.

Arthur never expected to gain so many fans in the first place. The fact that they adored him since the subway incident boosted his confidence during a time when he'd never felt more insecure.

"I've heard some say you're their hero."

"I'm not a hero. I just like making people laugh. That's all."

They talked until their time was up.