Adolf Hitler was a loving son who was very devoted to his mother. Despite Hitler living a life in vain, he was the apple of his mother’s eye. It makes you wonder if this is the only person he truly has empathy for. Naturally, when Hitler’s mother, Klara Hitler, became ill, he rushed to her side. Klara’s doctor, a Jewish man named Edward Bloch, remarked: "Outwardly, his love for his mother was his most striking feature... I have never seen a closer attachment between mother and son" (Simkin). The death of his mother affected him far more than the death of his father. Adolf Hitler had a deep, unrivaled love for his mother. 

Adolf Hitler was a determined dreamer, hoping to become an accomplished artist someday. Though his father was not impressed by his poor grades in school, his mother supported his interest in drawing and painting, which further fueled his passion for the arts (Cooper and May). When it was time to decide what secondary school to attend, he wanted to go to classical school (Simpkin). However, Hitler’s father wanted him to follow in his footsteps and become a civil servant, so he sent him to a technical high school in the city of Linz in September of 1900 (Cooper and May). He struggled and performed quite poorly in his first year, being unhappy and held back by the pressure his father placed on him (Cooper and May). Despite feeling constrained, Hitler remained determined, wanting to show his father he was unsuited for technical education with its emphasis on mathematics and science, thus proving that his dream of becoming an artist should be allowed. Hitler explained in his book Mein Kampf, "I thought that once my father saw what little progress I was making at the [technical school] he would let me devote myself to the happiness I dreamed of" (qtd. In Cooper and May).

 For some years, Hitler lived a lonely and isolated life, earning a precarious livelihood by painting postcards and advertisements. He failed to secure entry to the Academy of Fine Arts (Simpkin) twice. He started to show early signs of his later life: secretiveness, a Bohemian mode of everyday existence, and a hatred of cosmopolitanism and the multinational character of the city of Vienna. When World War I broke out, he petitioned Bavarian King Louis III to be allowed to serve (Bullock et al). He greeted the war with enthusiasm, seeing it as a great relief from the frustration and aimlessness of civilian life. He found discipline and camaraderie satisfying and was validated by his belief in the heroic virtues of war (Bullock et al). This new life on the battlefield gave him purpose and the recognition he always craved. It was an escape from his monotonous reality.

During the war, Hitler was continuously on the front lines as a headquarters runner; his bravery in action was rewarded with the Iron Cross (Bullock et al). Hitler began to take pride in his stature and wanted more. He started to become obsessed with the idea of taking control. Hitler was a supporter of Karl Lueger, the leader of the Christian Social Party and the mayor of Vienna. Hitler claimed in Mein Kampf that it was Lueger who helped develop his anti-semitic views: “My common sense of justice, however, forced me to change this judgment in proportion as I had occasion to become acquainted with the man and his work; and slowly my fair judgment turned to unconcealed admiration”  (qtd. in Cooper and May).