--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: (A murderer about their victim:) \"He was…" description: "\"“(A murderer about their victim:) \"He was an expert in vicarious death. I should like to have been there to see how he enjoyed the real thing.”\" — P.D...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ca/p-d-james-7898_death_a-murderer-about-their-victim-he-was-an_244002.jpg" --- # (A murderer about their victim:) "He was an expert in… ![“(A murderer about their victim:) "He was an expert in vicarious death. I should like to have been there to see how he enjoyed the real thing.” quote by P.D. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ca/p-d-james-7898_death_a-murderer-about-their-victim-he-was-an_244002.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ca/p-d-james-7898_death_a-murderer-about-their-victim-he-was-an_244002.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ca/p-d-james-7898_death_a-murderer-about-their-victim-he-was-an_244002.jpg) > ““(A murderer about their victim:) "He was an expert in vicarious death. I should like to have been there to see how he enjoyed the real thing.”” [P.D. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-d-james-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker admires a murderer’s ability to experience death vicariously, suggesting a morbid fascination with living through another’s ultimate experience. **In simple terms:** Admiration of a murderer’s vicarious death. Key Takeaway Consider the ethics of glorifying violent perspectives. Themes morbid curiosity ethics violence Mood dark thought‑provoking Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - crime fiction analysis - ethical debates - psychological study - media criticism Key Concepts vicarious experience psychology of murder Questions to Reflect On - Why does the speaker find this perspective compelling? - What are the moral implications of such fascination? A Different Perspective Romanticizing murder can desensitize readers and overlook victim suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Murder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murder/) [Murderer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murderer/) ## Related quotes > [I'm the murderer and the victim the licence with the gun. 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