I do think that Paulus is responsible for his babies death, because he poisons it. He was so concerned for his social standing, that he was horrified of the thought that a black woman was going to have his baby. Some people could say that Thebidi is to blame, because she didnt do anything to stop Paulus from hurting her child, yet to me, that's just shifting blame. Paulus should be punished not only for the shameful act of hurting a child, but for his irresponsible actions throught the story.