Snape as having been loved.

[zgirnius]

No: HPFGUIDX 136409

"eggplant107" wrote:

> If Rowling says Snape is more culpable than Voldemort in ANY sense
> then Snape most have done something pretty horrific, like murdering
> the wisest kindest character in the book. 

zgirnius:
Well, joining the DEs is pretty horrific too...

But, this is not what I think JKR was pointing out here. In HBP we 
get a lot of Tom Riddle's backstory. And it is really grim. In 
particular, we can probably say with some assurance at this point 
that Tom was never loved. So, that Snape was loved, by some person or 
persons yet to be disclosed, means that Snape *should have known 
better* than to fall into evil ways. Which he certainly did, nobody 
is arguing otherwise, the man was a Death Eater and told Voldemort 
about the prophecy. The discussions are all about what did or did not 
happen in the years since Snape was first a DE. 

Thus, even if (for example) Snape made a sincere return to the good 
guys as DD believed, and has done his nasty, snarky, unpleasant best 
to stick with this decision ever since, he is still more culpable (in 
the sense of "worthy of blame") than Riddle, who doesn't know better.