While reading Chapters 16, 17, and 18 of Leopold & Loeb, I was shocked by the descriptions of the two boys, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, throughout their courtroom proceedings. It almost seems as if the two boys are putting on an act in a three ring circus for the media. There are several instances throughout the book that portray the young men's belief that they honestly don't care about the punishment they are about to receive. First is on page 170 when Leopold discusses his view on death, and how he is currently in a "quandary" over whether he would like to die or not. Leopold later seems to toy with the reporters and media who are curious about extraordinary murder, but as he is staring down impending sentencing all he wants to talk about are his clothes. He especially wants to make sure that the media accurately reports what he is wearing. It is remarkable to read some of the things that the boys say. It seems to affirm in my mind the newspaper reports from the Chicago Tribune about the sanity of the boys. In my mind, no one sitting in that court room in the position of Leopold or Loeb could possibly be that relaxed and carefree unless they are in a completely other mental state.
I feel that the effect that the book's representation of the boys' indifferent and somewhat arrogant attitudes have about their verdicts serves to create an image of the boys as other and different from the average American. It plants the idea in my mind that no ordinary, regular American could possibly be capable of committing the horrors that these boys did. They possess no characteristics of worry, apology, or remorse. They simply did what they did and now they are being "burdened" with the task of having to talk about it in court. The description of this side of Leopold and Loeb makes me, as a member of the audience, wonder, "Where did these boys come from?" Now I can begin to understand the newspaper articles about hypnosis and about Jewish failures in raising their children that the Chicago Tribune reported. I found these eccentric at first, and while I still don't agree with what the pieces were saying, I realize that these articles were simply efforts to come to grips with the reality. The reality is that these boys committed an awful crime and seem to be almost proud of it - It is only logical that newspapers, especially years and years ago in the 1920's, would begin to search for explanations.
One element of the case that I hadn't really grasped up until the point of reading these chapters was Leopold's ego and how it led to "the perfect crime." On page 199, Hal Higdon writes, "He [Leopold] hoped to finish college in three years because he wanted to be different from other people to satisfy his ego." This resonated with me because I finally came to a sensibility as to why they may have committed the crime. Forgetting about Loeb for a second, Leopold truly did feel that he was better than people. I know that the Chicago Tribune wrote this, but I realized it fully when I read it here. He therefore was motivated to do what others couldn't - say yes in every language, graduate in three years, commit the perfect murder and not get caught. He was in it for the thrill. I don't think that he wanted to graduate in three years just to have a head start on beginning his career, he wanted to do it because it was a challenge and he thought he was the best. The same may be true of the murder. it was a challenge, and Leopold simply thought that he was the best. This very well may help to explain his lack of remorse during his sentencing also.
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