Another piece of the puzzle to add to what you've said, is the feeling of helplessness/hopelessness that can get locked in at a young age. When I was growing up

Another piece of the puzzle to add to what you've said, is the feeling of helplessness/hopelessness that can get locked in at a young age. When I was growing up, there were a lot of kids that didn't view their future with any kind of optimism. So really, what difference does it make if they go to jail for selling drugs, armed robbery, running from the cops, etc. That's pretty much how I viewed things, except instead of leading a life of crime I just wanted to do something much more drastic. Of course, I was super young when that viewpoint permeated my thought process, so that viewpoint is still there but not to the same extreme. It's a lot more convincing as a preteen (or even younger), seeing your friend's friends and family members making "a living" from crime, and then looking at your life with what seems like no opportunity or a respectable future.