and own up to his actions, Steve tells Tony to run and takes off running. Tony doesn't run, but Steve's actions make him look guilty, and Tony receives a punch for his seeming guilt.

This flashback reveals an important aspect of Steve. He had the opportunity to confess his action and apologize, but he didn't. Steve didn't lie about his actions, either, so he can't be accused of lying; however, one can most definitely accuse Steve of intentionally hiding the truth and looking for a way out of trouble. This most definitely calls into question whether or not Steve is giving his lawyer and readers all of the details about his actions.

From the cinematic flashback of Steve's younger years, we get the impression that, by the time he'd reached the age of twelve, he'd already taken his first tentative step toward a life of crime. He's walking through the neighborhood park with his friend Tony. Tony flings a rock at a lamppost to demonstrate his accurate pitching skills. But he misses, and the rock bounces in front of the lamppost and careens slightly to one side.

Steve tells Tony that he can't throw and tries to show him how it should be done. He picks up a rock and throws it at the post, but he too misses his target. Instead of hitting the post the rock sails past it and hits a young woman out walking with her boyfriend. Steve immediately tells Tony to run, but he doesn't. When the angry boyfriend sees Tony, he automatically assumes that he was the one who threw the rock and so hits him.

As well as showing us that Steve's penchant for getting into trouble is by no means a recent development this episode illustrates his inability to take responsibility for his actions. Instead of facing up to the consequences of what he'd done he immediately ran away, thus establishing a pattern of behavior that would extend into adulthood.

The flashback that occurs on pages 80–82 involves Steve and his brother, Jerry. Jerry is eleven years old during this flashback, and the two brothers are watching television together. Jerry asks Steve if he has ever wanted to be a superhero. Steve says that he thinks being Superman would be great. He could act meek and mild as necessary and then "kick butt." Jerry then suggests that Steve should be Batman. That way Jerry could be Robin. The flashback fades out right as Steve gives a "brotherly shove" to Jerry. The flashback is important in terms of character building because it shows that Steve does indeed desire to be a good guy hero type. He doesn't want to be the villain. Saving people is better than hurting people in his mind, so it shows readers that Steve's participation in the crime and murder is not likely. It's a moment when the author is creating even more confusion about who Steve is. He considers himself a monster, yet here is evidence to the contrary.