He grew up in a different environment with a broken family and no apparent dreams. As a boy his parents separated and he was forced to go with his mother. He later ran away to be with his father who rejected him and ended up being completely abandoned by his family. He then came to stay in a Catholic orphanage, where he was abused by nuns and health workers. Eventually his father decided to take him into care and together they ran away and travelled, finishing his studies before he passed the third grade, which bothered him as he got older. Perry joined the Marines and Army, then returned to relocate his father. He and his father had a turn from starvation, leaving Perry with nowhere else to turn and thus involved in committing crimes. Once captured and incarcerated, his mother died and his brother and sister both committed suicide. From all his experiences we can say that Perry definitely lived a different life and his portrayal of the family was very different from that of the Clutters. After so much abandonment and abuse, we can understand why he feels almost nothing and how much growth has influenced him. The American dream for Perry may not have been of a “perfect family,” but it may have been to find something with order and control. The dream that Perry's family would focus on is achieving a life of dignity like their past