Is Richard a "bad" boy?

When should behavior be blamed on the person and when should it be blamed on the environment?

Nature vs. nurture; do people possess certain traits because they were born with them, or have their experiences shaped who they are as an individual? This is an everlasting debate that has no right or wrong answer. However, in Richard's case, I argue that he is not a bad person, but his unhealthy surroundings and some people in his life have taken advantage of his naive ways and caused him to do corrupt things.
The abusive life style Richard's parents have provided him with is, without a doubt, affecting his actions. Richard leads a harsh life filled with constant beatings for bad behavior, which cause him to do more negative things. The stubbornness and brutality Richard now possesses is caused from his parents' cruelty and neglect. Richard obviously feels lonely and unloved and this solitude is only causing more misbehavior. However, his parents aren't the only people negatively affecting Richard. For example, the older men in the saloon would give him beers and he would get drunk multiple nights in a row, even though he is just a child. Having bad role models inevitably cause Richard to act the same and when things are just shades gray it is hard to distinguish right from wrong. Another important thing to take into account is that Richard usually doesn't mean to do anything bad, but he constantly does. For example: in the very beginning of the book Richard is bored so he starts to light some straw on fire. One thing leads to another and before you know it the whole house is on fire. Richard obviously didn't mean to burn his home to the ground, but accidents happen, and frequently for Richard. I hope he grows up soon, and learns a little responsibility because if he doesn't he could potentially get into more trouble than before.