To what extent is Dick responsible for the murders?

Dick is well aware that Perry has said "no witnesses will survive."

They planned the robbery/ murder together.

Dick wanted to rape Nancy Clutter.

Dick controls Perry. Perry, on the other hand, is much braver. The best example of this is the night of the murders. Dick masterminded the crime, and even when Perry wanted to leave, he insisted that they stay and look again for the safe. Of course, it is Perry who prevents Dick from raping Nancy, but the fact remains that Perry was reacting emotionally, on a case by case basis, to Dick’s actions. Dick, on the other hand, was operating according to a plan, convincing Perry to go along with him. While Dick is more controlling, he grows

attached to Perry and never manages to get rid of him, whatever he may say to himself.

While Dick may have usually been in control, Perry did most of the work. He was able to murder, and during interrogations, Dick cracked first. In many ways, Perry is the more romantic of the two; he is more interesting as a literary character. Dr. Jones, the psychologist brought in by the defense, calls Perry a paranoid schizophrenic. He is crazy; Dick is sane. Perry dreams of a giant parrot; when he tells Dick about the dream, Dick does not listen. Perry catches a huge blue fin fish, but Dick does not fish because he has a headache. While Perry worries about getting caught and wants to talk about it, Dick tells

him to shut up. While Dick may be the controlling mastermind, he is a shallow character beside Perry