The kind chatty old fellow mentioned below was Herbie Bradley a well-known bank robber in his time, but long before that a state ward. We still have a system where children are taken from their parents, at times for their own safety. Those children are sent into at the very least an unsure life. In Herbie's case, he would end up in the criminal underworld with his brother Steven.
That really struck me when I read about Herbie's untimely death. He appears to have been prey to younger men also off the rails but at a different time of their lives. A time when they couldn't consider compassionate toward an old timer past his prime as they might be one day should they survive a similar lifestyle to that of Herbie.
State wards are represented highly in suicide, imprisonment, and mental health issues. While it's sad his own younger kind turned on Herbie the tragedy is for all of them in a system of injustice that seemingly can't be corrected. Well, not with punishment, violence, and an uncertain life that might be taken to the grave by someone like Herbie - a classy bank robber he once was never but never finding or being offered the chance to do better in his life.
RIP Herbie
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