Richard Mulcaster, a British English teacher, once wrote, "Nature pushes the boy forward, nurture sees him forward." Mulcaster recognizes that both genetic and environmental factors determine the type of person one becomes. Truman Capote's nonfiction novel, In Cold Blood, gives the reader the opportunity to see great examples of how nature and nurture influence one's character. Capote's novel, In Cold Blood, introduces the reader to two men; Richard Eugene Hickock known as Dick throughout the novel and Perry Edward Smith whose criminal lives are almost identical; although both Perry and Richard come from very humble backgrounds, their childhood, and especially family life, have very little in common. It is only later in their lives that we begin to see similarities between the two men. Despite their differences, Perry's upbringing and Dick's genetic predisposition allow both men to share a contempt for life, which becomes evident the night they brutally robbed and murdered four innocent members of the Clutter family. Unable to conform to society's norms, Richard Eugene Hickcok is raised by his parents who are modest farmers. Despite his family's difficulties, Dick's childhood is fairly typical, he is popular throughout high school, plays sports, and dreams of going to college. Due to his family's lack of resources, Dick is unable to fulfill his dream of attending college. Despite Dick's unfortunate drawbacks, Dick lives a normal life, gets married, has three children, and becomes a mechanic. Dick lives a typical American life, but soon after the birth of his third child Dick has an extramarital affair that ends his marriage. Shortly after divorcing his first wife Dick remarries, but his second marriage... is half paper... the only difference is that he chooses to pull the trigger of a loaded gun. No one can dispute that the alcoholism and abuse of Perry's mother and father are direct causes of his run-ins with the law. It is quite clear that a combination of life experiences and heredity determines who one ultimately becomes. Some people are fortunate to have a good childhood and come from a loving and caring family, which allows them to thrive in society; yet there are others who come from similar backgrounds and are unable to function in society. Then there are people who are born into a dysfunctional family or go through a traumatic experience and are simply unable to adapt to social norms because of what they have experienced. While it is known that a combination of the two shapes who one becomes, it is unclear whether one has more influence than the other.