Who is the narrator, can she or he read minds, and, more importantly, can we trust her or him?
Third Person (Limited Omniscient)
Although the novel's narrator gives us a lot of insight into Wilhelm's inner thoughts and feelings, it tells us less about what everyone else around Wilhelm is thinking at any given time. This means that we have a narrator whose omniscience is limited: he knows a lot, but he doesn't know everything, and as a result, neither do we.
For instance, although we sometimes catch a glimpse of Dr. Adler's inner thoughts, we never do learn what's going on inside of Dr. Tamkin's head. Throughout most of the novel, it's all Wilhelm, all the time, which means that, like poor Wilhelm himself, we're left in the dark about the one man who can either sink or save him.