At school, he struggled socially. A speech impediment made him a target for teasing, and repeated failures to make athletic teams bruised his self-esteem. By adolescence, he had become increasingly isolated, going on only one date throughout high school and retreating inward as feelings of inadequacy grew.
Identity, resentment, and obsession
Tensions intensified at home when Louise began a relationship with a new man who became a stepfather figure. Bundy reportedly resented him, particularly because he could not provide the material comforts Bundy craved. He developed an intense fixation on status, appearance, and wealth—fantasizing about a life far removed from his working-class reality.
Outwardly, Bundy appeared to move forward. He attended college, presented himself as intelligent and ambitious, and even volunteered on a suicide prevention hotline—an irony that would later horrify the public. Privately, however, he nurtured violent fantasies that would soon manifest in real-world brutality.
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