Many sleepless nights

[Jim Ferer]

No: HPFGUIDX 124524


Freud:"He put Harry into a situation where he would have no status at
all.  Where his powers would not be discovered or developed. Where
Harry  would be forced to experience what life is like without
kindness or  compassion. Where he would be forced to work for his supper.

 Why? Why would Dumbledore do this? For humility! More than  anything
else Harry needed humility - a quality that Voldemort  sorely lacks."

Lupinlore:" If this is indeed the case (and I don't believe it is), DD
is a truly reprehensible person, on par with Voldemort. And yes, I
mean that quite literally. The ONLY possible moral reason for leaving
Harry with the Dursleys is to save his life, PERIOD. Trying to create
a certain kind of person through child abuse, or abuse of any kind, is
utterly, totally, unforgivable vile."

Vile indeed, and illogical.  There's no way to put a child through
that kind of experience and expect a boy with the humility and the
capacity to love at the other end.  Quite the opposite, actually. 
Children of abuse are often abusers themselves, at least horribly
mangled souls.  Only Harry's special qualities enabled him to survive
at all.

Of course, part of the reason is that the Dursley's abuse was
relatively mild, sad to say. Many homes are cold, unloving, bullying,
and rejecting.  It doesn't sound like the Dursleys did anything that
would be actionable by the authorities.(Perhaps the cupboard) ("Sad to
say" in terms of how nauseating abuse can be.)

I think the Dursleys abused Dudley worse than they did Harry. They've
created a bad person who can never be happy the way he is, as well as
failing in their duty to make him a responsible citizen.

Jim Ferer