However, in Season 2, we learn that’s not the case. Elliot has retreated to his bedroom in his mother’s house, having cut himself off from all technology. He’s journaling his every move, ensuring that he’s in full control of his actions and emotions, and that Mr. Robot isn’t controlling him. Eventually, Elliot’s sister Darlene lures him back. Not only do they have to take fsociety to its next hacking phase, but they also have to clean up their tracks, as the FBI and crackerjack agent Dom DiPierro (Grace Gummer) start sniffing them out.

If Season 1 was about revolution, Esmail says that Season 2 is “about the hangover of revolution. What I loved about Mad Men was that change is never fast. It’s slow, and at times it’s grueling. If you look at change in the world, it’s lumbering and slow.”

Esmail points to the Egyptian revolution as one of his inspirations for Mr. Robot. “They’re still going through a lot of growing pains. They went through one president and are on to their second. There’s not a miraculous fix to their society. That’s the sobering part of revolution,” adds the creator.

For the middle class, whose bank accounts can easily be compromised by petty hackers, it might be hard to see these cyber criminals as the Robin Hood types portrayed on Mr. Robot. But there’s a cache who angle on taking down organizations for various socio-political reasons, i.e. Monsanto and Scientology. The inspiration Esmail took from these hackers, as well as Occupy Wall Street protesters and his cousins in the Arab Spring, was their rants. And it’s those knock-on-society soliloquies we often hear spewing from Elliot.

“My cousins’ rants would be anger-fueled, one-sided, and somewhat irrational,” Esmail says. “It was always intriguing. The same thing with Occupy Wall Street. Some judged them for being too neo-Leftist. For me, I find people like that interesting because there’s such a passion, whether it’s left or right wing. We put that psychology into Elliot. Some people feel like we’re saying what he’s saying, but we’re not. Take a step back; he’s a character with all these issues.”

“Not only does [Elliot] want to live and continue, but he realizes that fighting Mr. Robot is a moot point and an impasse,” says Esmail of Elliot’s Season 2 transition. Peter Kramer/USA Network

In constructing the character of Elliot, Esmail refers to a close friend in interviews, a person who battles with a similar psychological disorder. Out of respect, the creator keeps his identity secret — Malek hasn’t even met him. Speaking about his friend, Esmail says, “He’s a fan of the show. It’s flattering because it means we’re depicting it authentically. He gives me notes. But he’s not watching the episodes as fast as he wants to; it’s too close for him.”