Breaking Bad

On a day of extreme heat and ferocious wind, a man goes into the tinder-dry forest and lights a fire. When a suspicion becomes an obsession, a man kills his father, believing - in the grip of his delusion - that his act is righteous. Can we understand acts of evil? Is it possible to anticipate who among us will respond to events in ways that have dire consequences? Natasha Mitchell talks with Chloe Hooper and Julia Shaw about why they have written about the dark side of human nature. Does a writer need sympathy in order to understand? If not answers, does examining the psychology of perpetrators help us ask better questions?

Buy your Saturday Pass or Festival Pass