14 JANUARY 2006, Page 20

From Frances Spurrier

Sir: Many people who struggle with deprivation do not commit murder. But it is not only those who inhabit dark hallways who have forgotten how to live. In our society divorce is rampant, child abuse tolerated, and women subject to violent sexual attacks are expected to defend themselves against charges of complicity. Vulnerable early teens, failed by our education system, turn to computer games or other even more harmful addictions to alleviate their boredom, while their parents watch Big Brother — the 21st-century equivalent of knitting by the gallows.

Frances Spurrier Twickenham, Middlesex