the 2 day role play that the doctor conceived worked, he was cured and snapped back to reality. he faked the relapse at the end. the line toward chuck was the key. he said "this place makes me wonder, would it be better to live as a monster or die as a good man." in other words, live as a crazy guy that is prone to physical violence and a threat to people around him or to die as a decent guy that dedicated his life to helping people and solving crimes and a tragic victim of his wife's actions?

he made the choice to be lobotomized because after being given a day to think things through dude realized that he couldn't go on living after the stuff that happened to him. either off himself or have them make it so he was a zombie and care anymore.

>I read an article w/the screenwriter in which she said she
>wanted to include the element of choice in the film
>adaptation.
>
>When I first finished watching the movie, I felt it was
>presented as if the experiment didn't take. I didn't pick up
>on Teddy making any kind of choice. It was pointed out to me
>that Teddy chose to be lobotomized by faking a relapse.
>
>This makes sense when I reflect upon his question to
>Chuck(Ruffalo) about dying a good man or living a monster.
>
>My only question is, if he wanted to be lobotomized, why even
>fake being "cured" in the first place? Just to see if he
>could deal with living w/reality and he found out he coudn't
>handle it?
>
>Was it obvious to those who've seen it that he faked his
>relapse?