The act of madness is an act that, because of its language, words or references, is regarded by a specific culture as a deviation that can be rejected, tolerated or glorified. The idea is as follows: studying the act of madness should give us lateral access to an analysis of the act, which would not be open to us in any other way. Examining the act of madness, this unusual act, is in any case to continue the approach of reflecting on the act, insofar as it is part of an investigation into different cultural characterisations of psyches, focusing on the dynamics rather than seeking to set out a cartography of the faculties of the soul.