Hannibal rising

The latest book that I am reading is "Hannibal rising" by Thomas Harris and it's pre Red Dragon, Hannibal and Silence of the Lambs.

I have always been fascinated by characters that even though they are the evident villain make you feel sorry for them and understand why they are the way they are! While I still remember how spooked and horrified I was when I read Hannibal, now reading what happened to him makes me understand why he ended up doing all those terrible things later on. (and yes, I do understand that this is just a book and it's fiction, but I am trying to make a point here). I guess (and this is a spoiler) if you would have seen people eat your sister in front of you when you were 8 years old, you might have had some issues too! Reading the book I feel so terrible for him and the things he had to witness as a child and in the same time I am completely mortified by what he does later on in life...

I always wondered how much of who we are as adults is influenced by what we have been thru until that point in life! And while there are people out there who can grow and develop without being influenced by the "bad" stuff that happened to them, many of us are not! I always wondered what kind of person I would have been if my parents would have not gotten a divorce, if I would have never met Alan, if I would have never came here for an internship all those years ago...

Do you think of what your life would have been if...