The image of a little boy with an open door, curious eyes, and a shy, unassuming smile that soon emerges, is labeled blood and madness. However, the story of Charles Manson is a poignant reminder that the most destructive forces in society often arise from the quietest, most neglected corners of a child’s life. See photos of the catastrophe that became the child perpetrator Helter Skelter, a slow-motion catastrophe that led to a catastrophe of torn remnants from the launcher, abuse, and catastrophe.
Charles Manson was born a monster; he was fostered by a legacy that had no place for him. His early years were a chaotic odyssey through the dark side of American life, beginning with his mother, herself a teenager lost in the clutches of poverty and vice. He grew up learning the most toxic lesson a child can receive: that love is always conditional, that adults are doomed to disappear, and survival is a game of zero conscience. Failing that, he returns home to the cold, gray walls of state institutions.
