Are all serial killers deleterious to society? Think about some of the most infamous serial killers to ever live, like Ted Bundy and Jeffery Dahmer. A question has risen whether or not there has ever been a serial killer who has actually helped society, until the book Darkly Dreaming Dexter. Meet Dexter Morgan, the first serial killer to have a heart, sort of. Morgan does not feel any emotion or does not care to have human interaction at all. He has the perfect disguise where everyone he meets or talks to thinks he is harmless and comedic, a wolf in sheep’s clothing so to say. During the day he is a caring and outgoing blood splatter analyst for a police department, however, at night he roams the shadows of the night hunting and killing only other serial killers when the “Dark Passenger” tells him to. The “Dark Passenger” is a reoccurring symbol throughout the novel and is a sinister passenger in Dexter’s conscience giving him the urge to kill. Was Morgan’s conscience always this evil and diabolical, or was his conscience once humane and normal? One tragic incident when Dexter was a child transformed his innocent conscience and engraved the “Dark Passenger” inside of him forcing Dexter to lose the ability of self-control, leading Dexter to have urges of living a diabolical and sinister life. 

When Dexter was only three years old, he was trapped in a cargo container with his mother. What Morgan did not realize was that he was watching his own mother being murdered. On page 274, Morgan cried out to his mother and he “could see her face there, and she was somehow hiding and peeking up over…just her face showing…And why wasn’t Mommy moving…We were sitting here in a deep puddle” (Lindsay). The puddle that Morgan was sitting in was his mother’s blood. He was trapped in there with her dead corpse for three days soaking in her blood. Morgan was finally rescued, but was scarred psychologically for the rest of his life. Little did he know, was that his innocent life would soon be forgotten as this horrifying incident engraved the “Dark Passenger” directing him to a new life, a serial killer to only murder other serial killers. 

After that incident Harry Morgan, a police officer, adopted Dexter. Harry did know about Dexter’s traumatic incident and did not think that Dexter would not have been affected mentally by this incident, because Dexter was so young. When Dexter was a teenager Harry found out that he was killing other animals, and he became worried. Eventually Harry told Dexter “It was too strong, too much…It’s going to make you want to kill…But you can channel it. Control it” (Lindsay 43). As Dexter grew older he started getting the urge to kill animals. Eventually Harry sent Dexter to every type of therapy hoping to cure Dexter of his urges to kill animals, but nothing worked. Harry came to the conclusion that there was no hope in changing Dexter for who he truly was now. These irresistible urges could not be tamed. The “Dark Passenger” was already inside of Dexter directing him to a sinister lifestyle. Eventually these urges to kill only animals changed to humans as the “Dark Passenger” started to tamper with Dexter’s emotions.

As Dexter aged, he could not feel emotions such as being depressed, enthused, or happy except when the “Dark Passenger” was in the driver seat. One night Dexter heard the “calling to the Need…the cry of the need inside, the entity…The me that was not-me” (Lindsay 1). His conscience was replaced with a more devilish type. The “Dark Passenger” simply could not be controlled and the only option left that Harry saw was teaching Dexter how to kill and not get caught. Since the “Dark Passenger” did not care who Dexter killed, Harry taught Dexter until he evolved to a serial killer’s worst nightmare. Harry did not want Dexter to be harmful to society, so he taught him a unique set of skills so that Dexter could use the “Dark Passenger” to help benefit society. Dexter learned how to find serial killers, capture them, and dispose of them without leaving any trace of evidence. The most important rule that Dexter learned was to have proof that these serial killers were guilty. Dexter could not let his true emotions or the “Dark Passenger” interfere with killing innocent people. 

Luckily for Dexter, keeping his emotions in check was easily accomplished. He, like all serial killers, was left with little to no emotion when the “Dark Passenger” entered Dexter’s body. After killing one serial killer Dexter said “Whatever made me the way I am left me hollow…unable to feel. It doesn’t seem like a big deal. I’m quite sure most people fake an awful lot of everyday human contact. I just fake all of it” (Lindsay 15). When the “Dark Passenger” was not controlling Dexter, he lived life while seemingly being empty inside, or lifeless. Dexter knew he could not just rely on the “Dark Passenger” to control his emotions. He had to start faking these everyday emotions that normal human beings had, so he could cover up his secret identity of being steered by this sinister passenger inside his conscience. Every conversation in the book Darkly Dreaming Dexter, the reader can see that he does not care about what the other person is saying, or he simply does not know how to respond. He lacks the skill of human interaction, because the “Dark Passenger” leaves him lifeless. All he wants and knows how to do is kill which leaves him wondering why he only wants to kill. Ordinary people have emotion and would not be able to handle killing or murdering other anyone. Their conscience would become guilty leaving them in shock and unable to function. On the other hand, Dexter is not an ordinary person. His conscience is dark and evil directing him to kill without remorse or second guessing himself. In fact, the “Dark Passenger” made Dexter enjoy killing so much he had the need to keep a souvenir.

Every time Dexter murdered another serial killer he had to keep a drop of their blood and put it into a slide. In one part of story when Dexter was reflecting on one of his kills, he said “I took the slide from my pocket…with a careful single drop of the priest’s blood preserved in the center…I put the slide with the others, thirty-six neat and careful very dry drops of blood” (Lindsay 15). Ever since he soaked in his mother’s blood, the “Dark Passenger” gave him a fascination for blood. Blood is part of the reason that makes Dexter unique; his fascination for blood makes his urge to kill worsen. The “Dark Passenger” makes him so intrigued by blood, every time he murders someone he has to keep just one drop of their blood. Eventually, he would look back at the blood to reflect the amusement he had killing them. 

Tragic incidents tend to have a negative effect on a person, but Dexter Morgan was able to overcome his past to use his demons to help rid society of evil men. He was fortunate enough to have a step-father like Harry Morgan. Dexter would have been harmful to society if Harry did not guide the “Dark Passenger” to kill only serial killers. If Dexter never watched his mother being murdered as a child, the “Dark Passenger” might have never misguided Dexter’s conscience to sinister thoughts. Dexter would never have been emotionless, and he would have lived a normal life. Unfortunately, Dexter could not fix what had happened in the past. He was hollow inside. The “Dark Passenger” gave him one fascination in life, blood, which gave him his one and only emotion, excitement. His new life began when he was soaked in his mother’s blood allowing the passenger to enter Dexter, leaving this demonic conscience steering Dexter to a diabolical lifestyle ready to stalk the night, hunt down, and kill serial killers.
