Lullabies for Little Criminals portrays how inept parental figures begin an eternally negative li...

1. Neglect of Personal Responsibilities

1.1. The only $5 that Baby had she used it for drugs because she didn't think that she would need it to help her in the future

1.1.1. She could have used the money to get her life on track and prove people wrong that she didn't need drugs to live a good life

1.2. When her dad, Jules, was going through withdrawal she had to be there for him to make sure that he was okay and that he needed the help that he needed.

1.2.1. At this point she wasn't even focusing on herself, she was worrying about the people around her and she didn't want to help herself

1.2.1.1. Symptoms of withdrawal: insomnia, muscle aches, vomiting, abdominal pain

1.3. When she was with Alphonse she wanted to keep him happy and by doing that she gave him all the money she earned from being with the older men, she gave to him and he wasted it away on heroin. When he did get the heroin, he would mostly take all of it and barely give Baby any.

1.3.1. She could have used that money to support herself and would have gotten things that she has always wanted, but she didn't because she wanted a place to stay and if she disrespected Alphonse, since he is much older, he would have kicked her out and would have taken all of the money.

2. Loss of Innocence

2.1. When Baby lost her last baby tooth it she thought that she wasn't a child anymore and that she wanted to be an adult and lose all of her innocence

2.2. Alphonse knew that she wanted to lose all innocence she had left, so what he did was that he made her become a prostitute and earn money. That way she can say that she isn't innocent anymore, because she has had sex and use the money for heroin.

2.2.1. Quote:“I didn’t go home the next day or any day after that, I stayed with Alphonse and continued to get high” (O’Neill, 286).

2.3. All the kids at her school were starting to have sex, even though they were 12 and 13 year old's.

2.3.1. Quote: “You have to lose your virginity when you turn twelve” (O’Neill, 15).

3. Drug Abuse

3.1. Her father, Jules, was heavily addicted to heroin, and he didn't care if Baby was around or not he would just get high.

3.1.1. When he got high, he was never really in her life to show her what is right and wrong, but he would always come back to Baby never sober, he was always high.

3.1.1.1. Quote: “For a kid I knew a lot about what it felt like to use heroin, just from looking and listening” (O'Neill, 10).

3.2. When Baby got kicked out and had to move in with Alphonse, Baby was earning the money and instead of using the money to support themselves, Alphonse took all of the money and used it for heroin.

3.2.1. Alphonse used all of the heroin and died of a drug overdose when Baby was in the room

3.3. When Baby is exposed to Alphonse and her dad abusing the powerful drug heroin she thought that it was okay for her to use it because that is all she's seen her whole life and Jules isn't around to tell her that drugs are bad and that she shouldn't go down that path.

3.3.1. Her dad was in rehab twice and when she was living with Mary and her boyfriend Jean-Michel, Baby asked him if he could get her "magic mushrooms" and he got them for her and to pay for them she used the only money she had, $5

3.3.1.1. Quote: “He took some mushrooms out of the bag and put them in his pocket. He gave me the bag and indicated by jerking his head back that maybe I should get lost now, just in case a cop got suspicious about us standing together” (O’Neill, 82).

3.3.1.2. Quote: “I was very firm on the idea that I would become a drug addict too now, I didn’t care what drug I was going to be addicted too” (O’Neill, 72)