Perry's Problems and Motives

In Capote's In Cold Blood one of the killers Perry is shown to be a messed up individual. Perry addicted to aspirin for the pain in his legs was a intelligent individual, yet he chose to do the wrong things with his life and in essence thrown it away. Perry just wanted someone to care about him. Capote puts this in better term when in his book he states, "He did give a damn--but who had ever given a damn about him? His father? Yes, up to a point. A girl or two--but that was "a long story"(45). This quotation depicts how Perry all his life has never been cared and the hurt and anguish he felt all those years is what he wants to bestow upon the Clutter family. It’s like Perry can’t stand to see plain, barren, untouched almost pure settings like Holcomb County. Capote puts it in his book as “He hated it,”(49). Perry finds his peace in crowded cities and seaports. This is where Perry feels accepted in chaos Perry find his comfort, but in barren orderly Kansas Perry feels exposed and the only way he can feel at peace is if he brings chaos to Holcomb which is in the act of killing the Clutters.