Chapter 1232: Let Down
"I understand what you mean," Pakart said softly. "You think that when someone commits an atrocious crime and receives the punishment they deserve, it is an expression of justice. I am familiar with that argument... and to some extent, I agree."
Pakart lightly patted the empty spot beside her, signaling for Hesta to sit down, closer to her.
Hesta looked at her and sat down.
"But when we discuss what a person deserves, if we look only at what that person ultimately did and not at everything they experienced along the way... is that fair in a civilized world, Jane?"
"What else do you want to see?" Hesta asked.
"When we speak of evil deeds," Pakart said softly, "we must understand that they are often not isolated outcomes. They may result from prolonged violence, poverty, discrimination, mental illness, lack of education... They are often the crystallization of a series of structural oppressions upon an individual."
"...Here we go again." Hesta raised a hand and lightly pressed it to her forehead.
She suddenly understood why Pakart had brought up Roger earlier. Perhaps, in Pakart's view, nobles and the wealthy had plenty of ways to escape execution, turning the death penalty into a punishment reserved for the lower and middle classes. That was the first layer of unfairness. And the criminals caught in this system were often people struggling to survive, forced to endure "a series of structural oppressions." That was an even greater unfairness.
"Any perpetrator can be portrayed as a victim in some respect. That's your favorite game..."
Pakart did not respond. She merely gazed quietly at the young woman before her. Hesta raised both hands as if they were the two ends of The Scale.
"A game of compassion, a game of moral introspection..." Hesta