In the book The Stranger, Merseault is convicted of first degree murder. During the interrogation Merseault is indifferent to the murder. The lawyers note that Merseault feels no remorse for his violent action and, as a result, the jury finds Merseault guilty; the penalty is execution. The jury believes he is a danger to society and calls him a monster. Merseault lacks empathy; is unable to recognize and respond to the feelings of others (Baron-Cohen). However, this is not enough to state that Merseault is a danger to society. Does Merseault lack more than just empathy? Is he a psychopath? Empathy is a skill that children learn from their parents (Kutner). How a parent shows empathy is crucial to the development of their child's empathic skills. Babies and toddlers learn empathy from how parents treat them when they are sad, angry, or scared. Children learn these basic survival skills long before they enter the world of formal education. According to findarticles.com, children are raised by identifying with and imitating their parents, which Dr. Benjamin Spock calls incidental learning. Young children identify more closely with the same-sex parent, absorbing important lessons about social and moral conduct (“Children learn by imitating their parents' behavior”). The first six years of a child's life are a window of opportunity in which a child unquestionably accepts the virtues modeled by his parents ("8 Ways to Raise a Moral Child | Ask Dr. Sears"). In the early years, children believe that their behaviors are right or wrong depending on what a parent tells them. By the age of five, a child begins to adopt the values ​​of his parents, whether they are noble or not. Merseault's childhood... middle of paper... it's another thing to be sentenced to the death penalty and not be afraid. Merseault may not have been dangerous at all up to that point in his life, but a prison sentence is not enough to stop a person without conscience. “Psychopaths don't feel guilty. They don't feel sorry for what they did. They go through life taking what they want and giving nothing in return. They manipulate, deceive and lie convincingly without the slightest second thought” (Khan). Researchers say that about 1% of the general population is psychopathic; others say about three or four percent. The reason estimates vary is because not everyone has been tested, but also because psychopathy is a sliding scale. A person can be very psychopathic or only slightly, and anywhere in between. How psychopathic does someone have to be before they can be classified as a psychopath (Khan)?