The main objective of this article is to identify the difficulties and opportunities that an adult with Asperger’s syndrome might face in the 19th century. I will rely on the fourth and fifth editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders to evaluate the figure of Captain Paiva, the main character of the tradition «Al pie de la letra». In this text, I will analyse the evolution of mental health studies at that time on the basis of his case and explain the differences between autism spectrum disorder and Asperger’s syndrome. Finally, it will briefly comment on the situation of people with Asperger’s during the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru.