"I do not wish to give the order full force without giving timely warning but I am a Widow’s Son, outlawed and my orders must be obeyed." —Closing words of the Jerilderie Letter

Being myself a single widow's child, I think this is a part of why I found Ned Kelly so fascinating when I first found out about him in lower secondary English class. I think a lot of children who have experienced the loss of a parent feel like they've been profoundly wronged by the whole of society, and feeling profoundly wronged by the whole of society tends to be a good motivator for, well, if nothing else, childish fantasies about wearing a makeshift suit of armor and dual-wielding revolvers.