Summary
In the soot-stained cradle of Owentown, a sociological experiment unfolds through the diverging destinies of two neonates. Hobart Henley crafts a stark, bifurcated narrative where the domestic environment acts as a crucible for the soul. On one side of this moral ledger, we witness the genesis of a child born into the frigid shadow of a father whose heart is a withered husk of avarice. This patriarch, driven by a mercenary hunger for accumulation, views his progeny not as a legacy, but as a burdensome liability. Consequently, the boy’s psyche is forged in neglect, warping into an atavistic manhood defined by malice and sociopathic entitlement. Paradoxically, his childhood companion—a boy nurtured in the warmth of parental accountability and emotional abundance—blossoms into the antithesis of his peer. As they navigate the treacherous shoals of adulthood, the neglected son finds his desperate grasp at redemption and romantic fulfillment thwarted by the very man who received the love he was denied. It is a haunting exploration of how the sins of the progenitor are visited upon the child, manifesting as a predestined descent into darkness while the cherished counterpart ascends to the light.
Two baby boys are born in Owentown. One is the unwanted offspring of an avaricious grasping father. He grows to an evil manhood, and loses his one chance of real happiness to the play-fellow whose parents have met their responsibilities.
