Violence cannot be clearly defined due to the multiple causes that arise from it, but violence can be understood. Everyone experiences acts of violence in their lives, whether as a victim or an attacker. While violent acts are normally sporadic and caused by anger, there are those who feel comfortable and are more likely to commit violence. An example of a person like this is Kody Scott, also known as "Monster" as a gangster. Monster wrote an autobiography about his life titled Monster, in which he grew up involved with the Crips, a gang involved in long-running gang wars in Los Angeles, California. There are theories that suggest why people develop the capacity to behave violently. Like being exposed to violence in early childhood or just being inherently violent. Monster's life is a perfect opportunity to examine someone who has been in the depths of violence on both sides and analyze him through these theories. The two theories that best explain Monster's propensity for violence are the cycle of violence theory and the self-control theory. These two theories are separate ideas that develop during the same period of life, so they feed into each other to promote violence. Monster joined his "set," which is how the Crips are divided and called by location, when he was eleven. Still a child, he was thrown into a world of utter madness and reckless violence where people were killed simply because they were on a street where they were not welcomed. This is how Monster fits into the cycle of the theory of violence. The cycle of violence theory suggests that children exposed to violence at a young age are more likely to become violent when they are older ( Violence: The Enduring Problem 48). This is a direct result that if a child records...... middle of paper...... i. I certainly had little respect for life when practically all my life I had seen people attacked, mutilated, and wiped out at very young ages, and no one seemed to care” (Monster: The Autobiography of an LA Gang Member 102). Monster reflects on his life after being fatally wounded in the hospital, and in his thoughts he confirms what the two theories say. Violence was everywhere and the people he knew were apathetic, so he became apathetic towards violence. This hospital case is the first time we get a look at Monster as he reflects on why he is who he is. As a victim he realizes that he is desensitized to violence. At this point in his life, however, he does not change his ways and continues to participate in gang activities. In Kody Scott's life it was less about the creation of a monster and more about the fate of a child destined to become a monster..