The human mind is complex and has many layers that are unknown, even to the mind itself. You cannot completely understand the way a person thinks by their actions and reactions to situations. It is quite possible for someone to do something outrageous, without revealing his or her reasons for doing so. I believe that this is what Marcus, a character from the novel The Learning Tree, has done.

The novel introduces Marcus as a rough boy known for fighting and stealing that many considered savage. He was sent to a boy's reformatory after stealing peaches from a man's farm, and then beating the farmer when he was caught. While at the reformatory, Marcus hit the guard with a shovel, and tried to run away. Although Marcus tried to kill two men, and often got into fights, I believe he is not a bad person.

Marcus' father was...