In Cold Blood - Themes There are many important themes in the novel In Cold Blood and they cover a wide spectrum of topics. They include the effects (if any) caused by the environment during childhood, how a person from any place can be a victim of hostility, and the presence of contrasting personalities. Truman Capote provides the reader with a detailed account of the childhoods of Perry Smith and Dick Hickock. . Smith's childhood was very problematic and marked by years of abuse. He witnessed his mother being beaten by his father; following domestic violence, his parents divorced. Because of these problems he runs away from home and "is in and out of detention centers many times" (277). He is severely beaten and humiliated by a landlady due to a mixing malfunction. These violent episodes forced his bitterness towards other humans. As Smith entered adulthood, he committed acts of theft and acts of battery. While in the merchant marine, he once threw a Japanese policeman off a bridge and into the water. All of these events took their toll on Smith, and his adulthood provided him with the opportunity to avenge the experiences that had infuriated him. Hickock's childhood was not marked by horror stories. His childhood years showed no signs of abuse or neglect, but his parents were a bit overprotective. He showed no real contempt for his parents or his childhood. Dick's early adulthood reveals his abnormal "tendencies" (Reed 115) and in the novel the proof is given by Hickock: "I think the main reason I went there [to the Clutter house] wasn't to rob them but to rape the girl" (278). The childhoods of the two killers were obviously dissimilar, and their differences call into question the formation of a killer's mind. Is it childhood that influences the mentality of the criminal mind? Smith's lack of companionship during his childhood led him to seek companionship in Hickock. Hickock took advantage of Smith's need by promoting Smith's fantasies. Hickock truly felt that Smith's fantasies were ridiculous, but supported his fantasies because he needed Smith's help to commit the murders. A second theme of In Cold Blood is the randomness of crime. The Clutter family lived in rural Kansas, hundreds of miles from a large city, and the people of this small community felt a sense of security. The murder of the Clutter family made national headlines because this crime doesn't fit any stereotype.