The phrase
"silent sufferers" refers to people who are bearing pain or difficulty without speaking up about it or seeking help. They suffer silently, not expressing their struggles to others.
Full definition
While it's true that cats are less needy than many other types of pets, Dr. Jason Nichols, AKA «The Preventive Vet,» says that cats are
merely silent sufferers.
I know my own daemons too well to be self - righteous, so I am willing to leave the «vengeance» to God; but I am not
a silent sufferer and refuse to give up my bitching rights.
We are
the silent sufferers and we are the adaptors.»
What happens when
the silent sufferers decide that enough is enough?
I admit to a longstanding fondness for the narrative convention of a big talker paired with
a silent sufferer; for further research, see Henry Fonda and James Stewart in The Cheyenne Social Club and Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare in Fargo.
Grandparents are central to family life, they simply can not be allowed to be
the silent sufferers any longer.