"Poverty may be the mother of crime, but lack of good sense is the father"

Jean de la Bruyere’s observation explores the complex interplay between social conditions and personal responsibility that give rise to crime. By personifying poverty as the mother and lack of good sense as the father of crime, Bruyere presents criminal behavior as the offspring of both environment and individual choice. Poverty is frequently cited as a root cause of criminal acts, providing the desperate circumstances that may push people toward unlawful actions for survival, sustenance, or social mobility. Lacking basic necessities, many individuals find themselves on the margins of society, with limited legitimate opportunities, which can breed resentment, frustration, or a sense of injustice.

However, Bruyere’s statement goes further by emphasizing that while poverty creates the conditions, lack of good sense, poor judgment, irrational decisions, or the absence of moral reasoning, is the decisive catalyst that transforms difficult circumstances into criminal acts. Not everyone living in poverty becomes a criminal; it is the combination of circumstance and choices, of environment and mindset, that ultimately leads to crime. Good sense, sound judgment, the ability to foresee consequences, and an inner moral compass, serves as a restraint, even in adverse conditions. When this faculty is absent or undermined, a person may succumb to the temptations or pressures that their environment exerts.

The quote also suggests that societal efforts to combat crime must pay attention not only to the alleviation of poverty but also to the cultivation of reason, education, and ethical principles. Addressing only economic conditions might remove one contributing factor, but without fostering intelligence, self-control, and moral character, criminality may persist. Bruyere’s insight underscores the dual responsibility of society: to reduce poverty and to encourage the development of good sense as protective factors against crime. Crime emerges most readily where external hardship meets internal deficits in judgment and character, making prevention a multidimensional challenge.