I agree. But what makes me wonder about how Fosse wrote the book is whether the silence is a reference to death (his parents and sister passed away and he feels alone) or the inability to say to them that he wants to go back to Norway. In this novel, the silence is a key factor and, most of the time, is confusing because even the protagonist feels scared of why his family remain in silence at the pier. — javi2541997

I wouldn't see "silence" as "death" from what I've read. Silence is the language of the imagination, and imagination is very much alive. In the case of schizophrenia the boundary between what is imaginary and what is real is blurred. That means that the silent language (imagination) becomes a very real language, with actual communicative power. We all share this to some extent, and it's an essential aspect of artistry, our imaginations can communicate something very real to us, and we transform this into artistic expression.

I believe the fundamental issue here is the way that you relate to "silence". There's two sides to this silence, the silence of the described scene (Fosse's silence), and the silence of the reader. Remember, silence is used by Fosse as a tool, to provoke the imagination of the reader. I believe Fosse would have intentionally left a blank (silence) concerning key aspects of Lars' family relations. From what I understand family relations can play a key role in the development of schizophrenia, and Fosse was probably not in a position to adequately understand those relations, so he would leave that to the imagination of the reader.

I would say that the family remaining in silence at the pier would be an implication of Lars' inability to communicate directly with them, expressing that much of his communication with them was through his imagination. This would indicate that them being dead is sort of irrelevant because he always communicated with them through his imagination anyway. Perhaps its a demonstration that they never provided for him the words that he needed from them. And this is what allows him to continue to communicate with them at the pier, regardless of them being dead.

There's two sides to this silence, the silence of the described scene (Fosse's silence), and the silence of the reader. Remember, silence is used by Fosse as a tool, to provoke the imagination of the reader. — Metaphysician Undercover

It is very difficult to put in work my imagination in this novel by Fosse. The first book I read about him, silence was also an important factor in the plot, and the characters were more direct in the few dialogues they had. But in this story, Lars Hertervig is a person with schizophrenia. There are two classes of Lars: the one who communicates with the rest of the cast, and the other who speaks alone in his mind. The reader can find out both, but when the second version of Lars appears, most of the characters consider them as crazy.

I wanted to wait one more day. I am now on the 188th page. Hertervig is in Norway again. This is time is inmate in an asylum, and he suffers from sexual delirium.

Although it seems that he has been in Norway for two years, his family haven't shown up yet in the new chapter.

I will keep waiting. The final end of the first chapter ends walking in silence alone in the street of Düsseldorf, but having a tumultuous mental breakdown and shouting at his inner self. Where is Elizabeth? The name of his sister...

I would say that the family remaining in silence at the pier would be an implication of Lars' inability to communicate directly with them — Metaphysician Undercover

Probably. What would disappoint me and would make me feel very sad is if everything was imagined by Lars. Remember he has mental disorders, and I can't really trust every silence of him and his family. I don't even know if they are alive yet... let's see in the following pages.

Hey, @Metaphysician Undercover and @Ø implies everything. I am reading Fosse again. "Septology" consists of seven different books, but it is interesting to see how the characters of other novels also appear here. I just started with the first volume, and I know this will be a long run and effort when there are six more books left. Yet it is a worthy author to take into account and debate about his works. If you do not mind, I would like to share with you the following paragraph:

Ales is sitting in the lounge. He feels cold and tired. Ales thinks it is a good idea to go to the kitchen and drink alcohol. After that, he will start to turn off all the lights in the house slowly. Then he will sort the house if it is necessary. After all of this, Ales will go to the sea, and he will join the waves and walk until he reaches the profundity. But why does Ales think in all of this? Why does Ales want to join the sea and the waves? He was just sitting in the lounge, and he thought it was a good idea to drink alcohol to stay warm and sort the house. But it is impossible to get rid of the idea of going to the sea and joining the waves.

Note: Maybe Ales is actually a woman. @Ø implies everything could say us whether Ales is a male name or not.

I don't know if you remember it guys, but we talked about how Fosse used silence and pause regarding death. I don't know to what extent Ales committed suicide, because everything appears to be a blurry idea in his mind. Perhaps Fosse is showing how Ales wants to kill himself, but this could not be a spontaneous idea, and this is why he feels overwhelmed by these ideas. Nonetheless, it is interesting why Ales wants to turn off all the lights and sort the house. Is this a reference to silence? Pause maybe?