Dead Man Walking Compassion and Forgiveness Quotes

Part of compassion is realizing that you could be that other person over there. Here, Prejean is working with poor kids and recognizing that she's better off than they are not because she's morally better, but just because when she growing up, her parents had more money. For her, compassion means not just putting herself in their shoes, but also realizing that if she had been in their shoes, she'd probably be just like them. You don't wear the shoes; the shoes wear you.

So this is a kind of double flip of compassion. On the one hand, Prejean is acknowledging that she can't judge people who lose a loved one and want revenge—she can't know that she'd do any better. At the same time, Jesus tells her that she needs to meet hate with love. That means all hate, whether the violence of the murderer or the desire for revenge on behalf of the victim. Jesus says Prejean can't hate anyone. It's a tough rule.

Compassion here is not just for the murderer (who shouldn't be killed), but also for the public (who should be protected). But can these two things be reconciled? Prison is pretty horrible—is it mercy to condemn someone to life in prison? Prejean focuses on the death penalty; she doesn't really engage with the question of whether prison itself is humane or fair or merciful. But we suppose one book can't talk about everything.