Karl was born in Omaha, Nebraska, to an alcoholic mother. His father was already dead from cirrhosis of the liver. Disillusioned and emotionally scarred from his mother's drinking, he leaves home at the tender age of eleven for life on the streets. After his second arrest at age fourteen, Karl is sent to a detention center to serve his time and ends up killing a fellow inmate in self-defense. When he is released from state custody, seventeen-year-old...