At the heart of the novel is Capote's question about himself. He writes much of his material of the two killers about Perry Smith while maintaining Perry's sensibilities. Capote archives the sordid details of Perry's childhood and family background; it is loathsome and painful--pure pathos in some respects. However, he then contrasts the portrayal of an irreparably broken young man with the carnival crowd seeking justice.
Capote makes far less of a case for Dick Hickock who was raised by two doting, questionably over-indulgent, parents who saw their son as a goldenboy with a favorable reputation in high school as an all-American athlete. His childhood and family background were fairly average with some exceptions. However, Capote makes no excuses for Dick's anti-social behaviors, amongst them being a pedophile.
Again, the question arises about the crowd and the accused. They were equally cold-blooded. The trial was rife with corruption. The jury, the judge, the attorneys, the venue, all acquaintances of the deceased. An old law that predated the colonies excised any mental health professionals from testifying on behalf of the accused. Capote notes that Smith is a writer, a gifted artist, an intellectual snob. These are the very same descriptors used by New York socialites to portray Capote himself.
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