In Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, Harry visits Dumbledore and says, “So the sorting hat was right? I should be in Slytherin.” Dumbledore admits that yes, Harry does possess many of the same qualities that Voldemort prizes. He asks Harry why the sorting hat placed him in Gryffindor. Harry replies that it was because he asked it to. Dumbledore tells Harry that is because he asked the sorting hat not to put him in Slytherin. He tells him Harry’s choice is what makes him different from Voldemort. Then he says to Harry, “It is not our abilities that show what we truly are. It is our choices.”
As unpleasant as this thought is, I believe there is darkness in all of us. We are all depraved on some level and have the capability to do horrible things. Most of us choose to be upstanding people. It truly is our choices that define who we really are. The beautiful thing about being human to me, is that we all have the capacity for darkness, yet most of us choose light. And we choose it again and again.
