Draco's nature, LV's abiliity to love, Dudders and Harry, etc. (long)

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 110625

Tyler's Lion:
> In the orphanage I infer for Riddle, not only was he treated 
> efficiently but emotionlessly, but so were all the other orphans.  
> He wasn't loved or hated, and neither were his compatriots.  
> Indifference damaged Riddle far more than the Dursley's dislike 
> could have.  Riddle had no model of emotional attachment at all, 
> and therefore never "learned" it, especially during any 
> infancy/early childhood window.  By the time he gets to Hogwarts, 
> he can't understand "love" except as a intellectual concept and as 
> a way to manipulate others.  


SSSusan:
I'm glad you said "infer" because we just don't know the details of 
this particular orphanage...but the consensus around here does seem 
to be that the orphanage staff was indifferent at best.  We've 
certainly not been TOLD of anyone who showed an interest in Tom....

Anyway, I felt a jolt when you mentioned your assumed treatment of 
Tom in the context of "so were all the other orphans."  Does this 
make anyone else curious about the moral & emotional development of 
all the others???  Surely we don't assume that if there were 20 or 80 
or whatever orphans in this orphanage that we ended up with 20 or 80 
or whatever psychopaths or severely damaged individuals, do we?  (Or 
*do* some of you?)  I don't...and for me that's why I still keep 
coming back to a degree of choice for Tom.  

Siriusly Snapey Susan