The part in bold...to me, no..it's not exactly the same. Yes, in some ways the mother is a victim. I don't doubt that she loves her children. But I do believe some blame SHOULD be placed on her. Maybe not by us, random people on the internet. But by law enforcement or whatever. Unless she was completely oblivious to the type of guy this was, then yes, some blame needs to go to her. Of course she has the worst "punishment" of all by losing a child and having to live with the guilt. But something will need to be done in the future to keep her daughter safe. She will need to make different choices. I am not saying her daughter needs to be taken away or anything like that. But this woman probably needs a lot of help in many ways. It's sad that these days, resources are seriously lacking. And if you happen to be in a family where things of this nature (abuse, drugs, whatever) are common...it seems like it's so hard to break the cycle. My heart breaks for her, Lonzie's father, and the rest of the friends and family who love him. I just hope they are all able to get any help they may need in light of this situation. Especially for the sake of any other children in these families.