Abstract
This paper discusses the murder of one young man by another, a childhood friend and neighbor, for a banal motive. It analyzes the trajectory of the victim and his family up to the moment of the crime, his death and the subsequent developments so as to understand the moral frames of reference and accountability of the actors in the recomposition of the victim’s family, the aggressor and his family in order to maintain and improve neighborly ties and friendship. This trajectory confers meaning to the practices, lends support to intentions and justifications, and is significant in terms of understanding the act that led to the crime and the efforts of the families to support the aggressor. It explores friendship, violent actions among friends, remorse, family and neighborhood bonds, and the emotional and moral codes that allowed the aggressor to reassemble the episode that led to the death of his ‘best’ friend. How does crime, through its unique and extraordinary aspects, transmute social and individual relations? What emotional aspects are in play and how does normal daily life resume, including the processes of mourning, repentance and the reconstruction of personal and social bonds between the affected families and the aggressor? How do moral practices and perceptions influence mourning, remorse and forgiveness?
Keywords:
everyday life; banal violence; justifications; morality