The novel, "The Bad Seed" was written by William March. Maxwell Anderson adapted the book for the Broadway stage, and then wrote the screenplay for the 1956 film starring Nancy Kelly and Patty McCormack.Assuming your question pertains to the film, the denouement provides a disturbing sense of satisfaction. After her failed attempt at suicide (her own) and murder (of Rhoda), Christine Penmark is left on her own at the hospital, knowing the futility of any further attempt she may make to convince anyone of how dangerous Rhoda is. Up to this point, the film has asked a number of difficult and probing questions. Does she turn her daughter in to the police or try to handle the problem herself? What would you do? There aren't any easy answers in The Bad Seed, and it is more difficult when we see that Rhoda is clearly irredeemable.There were three different endings filmed; the original ending had Christine dying and Rhoda surviving. However, the Motion Picture Production Code at the time stated that "Crime shall never be presented in such a way as to throw sympathy with the crime as against law and order;" therefore, Rhoda had to die at the end of the film.This is the reason for the sense of satisfaction, however disturbing. By rights, the story should have ended with the deaths as originally conceived by Christine. In a way, the film resurrected Rhoda in order to re-kill her - perhaps marking her as so evil she needed to be killed twice.