Gary Soneji/Murphy was abused as a child, often being locked in a cellar by his stepmother because it was “where bad boys go to think about what they did wrong” (135). He was also sexually abused by his father as an older child. This abuse helped form Gary’s obsession with true crime, including his fascination with serial killers and the Lindbergh kidnapping, which happened close to his childhood home. As an adult, Gary blames much of his abuse on his stepsiblings because they were treated differently by their parents, cared for in a way he was not. This sense of injustice caused him to develop an obsession with harming children.

In Along Came a Spider, most of Gary’s identified victims are women. Gary also mutilates his victims in a way that they become children again in his mind. These mutilations reflect his desire to inflict pain on those he blames the most for his abuse—his stepsiblings. While Gary logically understands his torment was the sole responsibility of his stepmother and father, he takes his wrath out on children because his stepsiblings became symbolic of the love and support he should have received from his parents. He is punishing his stepsiblings through his crimes, and in turn, punishing his parents by taking other children away from their families.