re: Godfather question that's always bothered me

quote:

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And Fredo, well, what can you say about Fredo. I don't think you can even pin that on his upbringing. But he was a mess.

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Don't you talk about Fredo! He's probably the most "normal" of the kids, and I like that of the 3 of 4 screwed up kids, you exclude the total sociopath. Mike is pretty much pure evil. He's the godfather without that love of family thing.

Fredo has jealousy issues, sure. He's just not a criminal at heart. He's a good natured guy who just wants to go fishing with the kids. He had no place in the criminal underworld. Fredo nurtured the goodness in himself, and only really saw the good in others. Unfortunately, he lived in reality in which most people had little to no goodness.

Fredo is the tragic hero of the first two films.