I don't very much like the idea of Tom Riddle being so clearly sociopathic even at age of 11. It lacks both subtlety and it reduces even the potential for compassion. In truth I'd very much have liked Tom at this age to have only an extraordinary desire for distinguishment -- the mention "There are many Toms" was cool. If this ambition and desire to separate himself was all we clearly saw, the desire to do things himself... but we also see lots cruelty and not even just hints of it. Unsubtle. Not sure that the character gains anything from this
Only, that kind of thing IS consistant with kids that grow up to be serial killers. That same sort of subtle, secretive sociopathicness-just look at Jeffry Dahmer, who liked to cut up animals when he was a kid. To me, showing that kind of "warning sign" with Voldemort made what he became later so much more believable. It showed that, even as a child, there was something fundamentally wrong with his way of thinking. I do think the trophy-keeping slkkect was rather trite, but then, when I put it in the context of most serial killers ansd tin^pot dictators, it made sense, even though it *did* cheapen Voldemort. I' not fullingbuying my Hogwarts was so important to him, but *hey*.
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Only, that kind of thing IS consistant with kids that grow up to be serial killers. That same sort of subtle, secretive sociopathicness-just look at Jeffry Dahmer, who liked to cut up animals when he was a kid. To me, showing that kind of "warning sign" with Voldemort made what he became later so much more believable. It showed that, even as a child, there was something fundamentally wrong with his way of thinking. I do think the trophy-keeping slkkect was rather trite, but then, when I put it in the context of most serial killers ansd tin^pot dictators, it made sense, even though it *did* cheapen Voldemort. I' not fullingbuying my Hogwarts was so important to him, but *hey*.