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What the readers know of Dick’s past is very little, as Capote works to characterize him through flashbacks the readers know it was his plan to kill the Clutters and he does have some family “there were those Dick claimed to love: three sons, a mother, a father, a brother—persons he hadn’t dare confide his plan to(Capote 106).” But Capote characterizes Dick more so through descriptions of his habits than through his memories. “Inez was a prostitute…she was eighteen and Dick had promised to marry her. But he had also promised to marry Maria, a women of fifty who was a widow of a very rich banker(Capote 118-119)” Dick is shown throughout the book as someone who uses people to get what he wants, he calls on Perry to help him with his plan, he uses women for sex and money while making promises he never intends to keep. “If he knew Dick, and he did—now he did—would spend the money right away on vodka and women(Capote 119). Capote does not draw any sympathy from the readers, Dick is perceived as an emotionless man who pretends to believe in people and want the same

There were times where Perry was like a giant child, according to Dick. “Always wetting his bed and crying in his sleep,” (108 In Cold Blood). Yet also there were times were Dick found Perry spooky as hell because of his temper. Capote uses significant detail to give the reader an insight as to how well Perry was able to hid his anger on the inside and keep his outer appearance unchanged. “ For however extreme the inward rage, outwardly Perry remained a cool young tough with eyes serene and slightly sleepy,” (108 In Cold

Dick is known previously in the novel to have suffered brain injury subsequent to his involvement in a car crash many years prior. The Psychologist, Dr. Jones, stated, “Mr. Hickock did know right from wrong” (Capote 294). It can be concluded that Dick was fully aware of the crime and consequences to follow, although a latter explanation is proposed. Dr. Jones explains that Dick may suffer from “Severe character disorder,” which is important to the case because “It might have substantially influenced his behavior during the past several years and at the time if the crime” (Capote 295). The doctor’s point of view conveys the reader’s thoughts, questioning the severity of Dick’s injuries, and how they may have impacted his decision-making abilities.

Talk about what you like to do. Complete the following sentences with a word or

When Dick finally returns after being out for a little more than a while, Perry describes the sound of his voice when he returns as, “an injection of some potent narcotic, a drug that, invading his veins, produced a delirium of colliding sensations…”(Capote 194). Perry is so dependent on Dick that in his absence he completely panics and then upon his return he is hit with an inconceivable sense of relief. The comparison of Dick to a drug shows just how manipulating he was to Perry. Furthermore proving that Perry would be willing to do nearly anything to keep Dick around, because he becomes so severely unstable with the lack of his

As a child Perry grew up with a limited education. When he is young and after his parent’s divorce Perry is living with his dad and is going to school. He finishes grade three but after that he never returns. Perry’s father moves from state to state throughout his childhood and prevents Perry from returning to school. Perry’s father wants Perry to stay with him instead of going to school so he can do work and take care of him. As Perry grows older however he understands that his father kept him out of school and Perry becomes extremely angry with him. Smith stated, “That bastard never gave me a chance. He wouldn’t let me go to school…. he didn’t want me to learn anything, only how to tote and carry for him. Dumb. Ignorant. That’s the way he wanted me to be. So that I could never escape him” (Capote 185). However, Perry is an intelligent and talented man with great potential. He has natural music ability, he likes to read and improve his vocabulary, and he also knows how to draw. In spite of this he never received encouragement from his father or anyone else: “Oh, the man I could have been! ... But the time came I begged to go to school. I happen to have a brilliant

Ever since Wallace was a young boy he was the best behaved in his class. “Whether it was the imposing figure of Chef Jewel, the female bishop who ran the school, or the lessons on respect he had learned from his parents, Perry was the best-behaved kid in kindergarten.” This shows how from even at a young age Perry’s parents had inforced respect and manner in him. Another example the book has of Perry well-behaved at a young age is, “The kids were going berserk, running around screaming, bouncing off walls and windows. All but one kid, that is. As his classmates went bonkers, there at his tiny desk sat Perry Wallace, not saying a word, waiting patiently for his sister.”

Cultural Dictionary defines psychopath as “A mentally unbalanced person who is inclined toward antisocial and criminal behaviors.” Dick’s childhood is normal; his parents love him and provide for him as best they can; despite his parents love, Dick is a psychopath who lives a life of crime simply because it is in his nature. Dick’s psychopathic nature is evident throughout the novel. For example, when he needs money, he resorts to writing fraudulent checks. Dick shows absolutely no remorse after he tricks people into giving him money. Dick simply feels that it is acceptable to scam people in order to get what he wishes. In addition, Dick shows his psychopath tendencies after he and Perry rob and murder the Clutter family, Dick goes on with his life and never feels any remorse about the murders that he committed. Dick obviously doesn’t see anything wrong with murdering innocent people because he is a psychopath. Dick’s lack of consideration for other people’s life clearly shows that he truly only cares about himself. An additional example of Dick’s antisocial tendencies is when he is arrested for the being involved in the deaths of the Clutter family, and he decides that to blame Perry for the deaths of all four members of the Clutter family in order to avoid

He is not intensely preoccupied with academic achievement like many more modern teenagers, having failed out of several prestigious preparatory schools, but he is clearly intelligent and tends to dwell on“heavy” topics like death and loss of innocence. His cynicism and sensitivity, in addition to the trauma he experiences from losing his brother Allie, suggest that he has depression or another untreated mental illness, an interpretation which is common among readers and supported by Holden’s visit with a psychotherapist at the end of the novel. Despite the risks he faces through having an untreated mental illness, shown when he is warned that he is “riding for some kind of a terrible, terrible fall” through self-destructive behavior, the conformist culture and social niceties of the 1950s prevented him from being able to discuss his thoughts for a large portion of the novel. (186) This culture, specifically the “phony” prep schools, is clearly toxic for Holden and likely contributed heavily towards his negative mental state, and therefore the negative image he often has of

Dick's ideal, was to marry the perfect woman, Nicole, write his fantastic book ‘psychology for psychiatrists' and be the best psychiatrist in the world. At the beginning of his career all of these things were attainable, but slowly each one of these things slipped away to falter his life. These things were not only just an ideal or a plan in life, they were a necessity for Dick. He dreamed of them all and it was from then on that it became an obsession. This lead to Dick's belief that his life couldn't be fulfilled unless all of these things were obtained.

In conjunction with these efforts, the KBI began interviewing everyone that had ever been employed by the Clutters; this was very methodical and thorough, but very slow. By using this method they hoped to find the people who committed the crime or find someone who knew who did.

I believe that if Perry would have been raced in a loving home or would have gotten help once he left the orphanage he would have become a successful man because although he is a murder he still desired education. He failed the third grade but he still wanted to learn new vocabulary, read, and write. As for Dick he just straight up does not care about education. Although Dick is not the brightest crayon in the crayon box he is very street smart and charming. What drove Dicks morals was not God but the Devil. Dick was lost by all the greed and lush he desired and he could never have been saved but Perry had a

Dick presents himself as arrogant, which makes the reader think he is more cold and detached. It is clear that he is not a complex character, so what you see is what you get. The first passage of this excerpt begins with the point of view of Dick. He seems very annoyed with the thoughts of Perry, which are focused on worrying about the murder. Capote exposes Dick’s frustration with Perry when he writes, “He was annoyed.

The KBI, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, was given the information that would eventually solve the Clutter case, by a man named Floyd Wells. Wells was listening to the radio one evening when he heard about the quadruple homicide, and he vaguely recalled an incident that had occurred a few months prior. The informant, is a prisoner in the Kansas State Penitentiary, who was cellmates with a man named Richard Hitchcock. Wells recalled that the two convicts were conversing one evening about their lives before prison. Floyd informed Dick that he once worked for Herb Clutter. He went on talking about how wealthy his former employer was, his ranch, and a safe in his office that contained $10,000 dollars. Hitchcock seemed to be fascinated by Mr.Clutter

It wasn’t until around the 1950s to 60s where he went through a really significant creative period (Fisher). Dick claimed to have contact with a force outside of Earth, called Zebra, which sparked his creativity. These visions also inspired him to question and theorize the origins and meanings of the human experience. Dick’s claim of having contact with an outside force was likely due to one of his several mental illnesses; however it did give him the motivation he needed to continue writing. During the time of his newfound inspiration, he wrote some of his most famous novels like The Man in the High Castle and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. The Man in the High Castle was the winner of the Hugo Award for best novel in