The character Michael Scofield

The TV series Prison Break is about a man named Michael Scofield who deliberately gets himself sent to prison. He does this because he has devised an escape plan for his brother, Lincoln Burrows, who has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit. Michael Scofield is a structural engineer who worked on the construction of the prison, which enables him to craft an escape route from the inside, involving some of the inmates in digging a tunnel underneath the cells.

During his time in prison, Michael befriends the prison doctor, Sara Tancredi, to gain access to the infirmary, from where the final escape will take place. Through his regular visits to the infirmary to receive daily insulin shots, Michael actually falls in love with Sara. While watching the series, we notice that even though Michael is putting his life at risk with his plan, he never lies to the doctor. Whenever Sara asks him a question that might reveal the plan, Michael simply says, "I can't tell you that." He prefers this to telling her a blatant lie that might later make her question whether everything between them was fake. For example, when the doctor learns of the relationship between Michael and Lincoln, she realizes something is going on and becomes annoyed. She asks Michael, "Why didn't you tell me Lincoln is your brother?" He simply replies, "We never broached the subject."

We realize how deeply Michael cares for Sara and respects her. Lies and respect cannot go together. Today, we live in a world where lies and fake news are everywhere. People tend to think of lies as survival strategies. Many justify lying to those they claim to love, thinking it is for their own good or a greater good, while in fact, lies are a poison to trust — without which it is impossible to build anything meaningful. There is a scene in the series where Michael hits a roadblock in his escape plan and needs Sara's help. Again, he does not beat around the bush; he tells her directly, "Tonight I am escaping from here, and I am taking my brother with me. I need your help. I want you not to lock this door when you leave for home." Sara is shocked and says, "I don't want to be part of your plan; I can't do that." He replies, "You don't need to be part of my plan. You only have to make a mistake. I want you to just forget to lock the door when you leave."

Michael Scofield suffers from a medical condition called 'low latent inhibition,' which makes him absorb all stimuli in his environment without filtering them. This causes him to consider every detail when making a decision or concocting a plan. He is deeply empathetic and never takes action without considering the other person's feelings. His sensitivity further makes him altruistic and willing to sacrifice himself for his loved ones. For these reasons, Michael comes across as an enlightened being in a dog-eat-dog world.

When you watch the series and observe the different characters, you realize that we don't become virtuous just by reading a book or listening to some guru. We are all born pure and innocent, and we all become corrupted by the ways of the world. There is no magic formula for escaping this. It is only through deep introspection that we come to understand the long-term consequences of our actions and willingly discard vices to return to virtue. This is what Michael's superior depth of perception and heightened sensitivity enable him to do.