In Truman Capote's nonfiction novel, In Cold Blood, Perry Smith and Dick Hickcock were convicted of murdering the entire Clutter family. When proven guilty, both Perry and Dick were sentenced to death. Although Perry was the one who killed the family members, Dick had planned it all. Without Dick's plan, Perry would never have thought of killing that innocent family. Throughout the novel, the audience is given a glimpse into the backstories and inner thoughts of the criminals. Dick was perfectly capable of knowing right from wrong, yet he proceeded with the murders while maintaining complete control of the situation. On the other hand, Perry (who we learned later in the novel might have always been a paranoid schizophrenic) had lost all control over the situation. Perry's childhood and mental health lead to the conclusion that he should be spared and treated for his mental instability. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Authors often lead readers to feel sympathy for the criminal, perhaps regarding an abused and violent childhood or the challenges and struggles they faced . Even though people understand the consequences of the crime, they feel sympathy for someone who has had so much pain in their life. They assume that the “evil” was rooted in something that truly affected the criminal. Perry Smith is no exception. Capote not only included Perry's thoughts, but also those of his father. Perry's father wrote a manuscript titled "A History of My Boy's Life," trying to appease the Kansas State Parole Board so they could allow his son, Perry, to get parole. Mr. Smith writes about his drunken wife (Perry's mother), who had taken Perry and his siblings away from their father at an early age. “My children were all crying at the top of their lungs,” Perry's father wrote, “and she just cursed them and said they would run away to come to me later.” (page 126). Just as his mother said then, Perry tried to run away from his mother. He then sent poor Perry to a Catholic orphanage. There, Perry was beaten mercilessly by nuns who punished him for small things like wetting the bed. After such an experience, Perry began to feel completely resentful of nuns, religion, and God. He was kicked out of the Catholic orphanage and sent "to a worse place... A children's shelter run by the Salvation Army." (Page 132). Not even the shelter nurse had any affection for him: because he wet the bed and had a Native American mother. The "evil bastard" filled a tub with ice water and held the defenseless Perry underwater "until he turned blue." Inevitably he fell ill with pneumonia (page 132). Perry's childhood was filled with abandonment, abuse and neglect. His horrible mother constantly "threw him away" from the orphanage to the shelter (the next one was worse than the previous one) - trying to get rid of him somewhere so that he would not have his "burden". Nobody should be treated like this. He had grown up in a very dysfunctional world, with almost no sense of self-worth or self-respect. This led to an emotional imbalance in his life, leading him to cause bigger problems as an adult. This ultimately led to compromising his mental health, causing him to lose control during the murders. Throughout the novel, we read about Perry being a child trapped in the body of a grown man. Perry dreams of "buried treasure" and adventures around the world. His ever-active imagination even catches Dick's attention. He too seems to notice something strange about hers.