Character Profiles in In Cold Blood: Perry Smith and Richard Hickock

**Character Profiles in In Cold Blood: Perry Smith and Richard Hickock**

Inside the Minds of the Killers Who Shattered Small-Town America

Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood is more than just a recounting of a brutal crime—it is a psychological study of two men whose lives and personalities culminated in one of the most shocking murders in American history. Through extensive interviews and detailed narrative, Capote paints haunting, complex portraits of the killers: Perry Edward Smith and Richard “Dick” Hickock.

This blog delves into who they were, how Capote portrays them, and why their characterizations remain controversial and compelling to this day.

Perry Smith: A Killer Crushed by Circumstance

Of the two murderers, Perry Smith is the more psychologically intricate and emotionally conflicted. Capote devotes more attention to Perry, presenting him as a man haunted by trauma, sensitivity, and emotional volatility.

Background: A Life of Hardship

Born to troubled parents in an unstable, itinerant lifestyle.
Endured severe abuse, including time in a Catholic orphanage where he was beaten regularly.
Suffered permanent physical injuries from a motorcycle accident, which left him in constant pain.
Was largely uneducated, but artistic and reflective, keeping journals and expressing philosophical thoughts.

Personality: The Sensitive Outcast

Capote emphasizes Perry’s duality: he is both deeply damaged and capable of empathy, yet also capable of extreme violence. Perry was the one who ultimately killed the Clutter family, yet his internal world is marked by guilt, dreams of a better life, and emotional fragility.

Readers are often struck by his childlike vulnerability, which Capote presents in contrast to his horrific actions. This portrayal has sparked debate: Is Capote trying to humanize a killer—or merely to show the complexity of human nature?

Richard “Dick” Hickock: The Charismatic Manipulator

In contrast, Dick Hickock is portrayed as more grounded in reality, yet chillingly manipulative. While less emotionally nuanced than Perry, Dick’s cunning and moral emptiness are no less disturbing.

Background: Charm Without Conscience

Grew up in a relatively stable, working-class family.
Was once considered intelligent and promising, but a head injury and a downward spiral into petty crime changed his trajectory.
Had a history of fraud, theft, and manipulation, even before meeting Perry.

Personality: Cold, Calculating, and Crude

Dick is the mastermind behind the plan to rob and kill the Clutters, believing they had a safe full of cash. He recruits Perry for his physical strength and latent violence, fully expecting him to do the killing.

Capote presents Dick as someone without remorse, driven by greed and self-interest. He comes across as a user—of people, of systems, and of Perry himself.

While not as emotionally layered as Perry, Dick represents the banality of evil: a man who does wrong not out of trauma, but out of choice and convenience.

The Dynamic Between Perry and Dick

One of the most fascinating aspects of In Cold Blood is the psychological dynamic between the two men:

Dick dominates the relationship, using his charisma to manipulate Perry.
Perry, though seemingly passive, holds deeper emotional and intellectual complexity.
Their relationship is both co-dependent and toxic, marked by mutual need, resentment, and unspoken power shifts.

Capote suggests that neither man would have committed the murders alone, but together, they formed a lethal combination of ambition, delusion, and rage.