Yates was a very Catholic woman and religion had a huge influence in her life – hence the names of all her children. “She believed [that] she was possessed [by]…Satan [and] (666) was marked on her scalp.” Yates said: “My children were not fair. They stumbled because I was wicked, they were condemned to perish in the fires of hell.” She also told Officer Knapps that her children were "not developing properly" and "that drowning them was the only way to save them" (PACKET). On the other hand, “Where was her extended family when she desperately needed help?” »… Yates didn't even have social support (not even from her husband) and suffered from "individualism." (PACK). Additionally, Yates was unable to live up to his religious values ​​or American standards. Given that she had no support and her children were not developing properly, the best thing she could have done was to drown herself.