In our hectic society, we are constantly on a quest of self-help and improvement in an ongoing battle with our peers in order to succeed. This idea of self-betterment and success at any price describes our society and can be compared to the “rehabilitation” of the girls at St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves into a new, human culture. In the short story “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves,” Karen Russell uses the theme of betrayal to help develop the idea that the sisters’ desire to fit in has exceeded the girl’s sisterhood and compassion for one another. Through the sisters’ transformation to a more “civilized” culture and society, they not only lose their old habits and instincts but they must abandon their old family values of trust and kindness towards one another as well. These sisters who were once a simple and tight knit family unit are now torn apart by their desires to successfully adapt to their new “acceptable” culture. During this conversion process, the girls lose much of their sympathy for one another as this new home promotes humanistic changes along with a hostile and competitive environment. At one point during the story Mirabella and Claudette are paired together to go feed the ducks. Claudette is concerned with Mirabella’s behavior and how their partnership may affect her reputation with the nuns. Claudette is also aware that this partnership with Mirabella might also grant her negative Skill Points, that she has earned throughout her rehabilitation. As Claudette was wondering about Mirabella’s desire to kill things at the pond, she was thinking, “and who would get blamed for the dark spots of blood on our Peter Pan collars? Who would get penalized with negative Skill Points? Exactly” (243). Rather than Claudette attempting to help her sister, Mirabella, she immediately assumes the worst from her and is more concerned with her own acculturation. This lack of empathy co