Her reaction "angered him somewhere, and made him want to compel her attention." While Paul's mother did not kill her son directly, her complicity in his obsessive behavior and her lack of genuine love and affection ultimately led to her own son's demise. Basset enables Paul, too, but because Basset is not a family member he is less responsible for Paul's fate.

Both Basset and Paul's mother enable Paul's gambling addiction. Paul's mother is a classic enabler who does not consider her son's well being. In fact, she blames her husband for her own problems too. By refusing to take responsibility for her own happiness-or for her own role as mother -- she fosters Paul's unhealthy behavior. Basset and Uncle Oscar use Paul, who appears to have a genuine knack for picking horses. They do not care how Paul picks the winners; only that he does. Likewise, Paul's mother only...
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