If Arthur had lived and had grown up to be a violent man, would you not also think back to his tragic childhood with some empathy?
I think it’s very easy to see the harmed, vulnerable child and have concern and empathy for them, to want to rescue them but those children are also the ones that grow to struggle with behaviours, become teens with issues around aggression and addiction, become anti-social adults. The impact of early trauma and neglect can be all pervasive and life long without appropriate intervention and can lead to very harmful behaviours towards others and towards themselves.
The same people who will wring their hands about the death of this child are the same ones complaining about parents getting money to pay for food over lockdown, are the same ones who don’t invite “that child” to play with their child, are the same ones judging teens with anti-social behaviour etc etc. It’s easy to forget these neglected, abused children grow into adults who carry the emotional and psychological scars, which impact every area of their lives. Not all adults who experience abuse go on to hurt others, but people who hurt others have usually been hurt themselves. It’s not an excuse and it doesn’t mean they aren’t accountable for their behaviour but the more we understand, the more we can prevent.
I’ve worked with parents who have really harmed their kids (CP social worker), in every case without exception their own early experiences were equally horrific. Their own children needed to be protected of course, but it’s hard not to have some empathy for and understanding of how the parents got to that point.