Blood-stained shoes, a paltry sum of money, and a guilty conscience: That's what Richard Hickock and Perry Smith walked away from the Clutter House on the night of the 15th November, 1959. Four innocent people, who might one day change the world, were fatally wounded by gunfire, and for what: for the simple sum of forty dollars? Hickock and Perry committed this senseless crime because they believed it was necessary to live up to the American ideals of power and money, no matter the cost. The American Dream, once thought to be the dream of a freer, better, richer, happier life for all citizens of every rank, has now transformed into a desire for rapid success and financial security, regardless of the means by which people reach it. . Due to the media and the changing environment of society, people are often driven to commit heinous criminal acts, such as theft or murder, in an attempt to achieve the corrupt “American Dream.” right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” nothing more, nothing less (Declaration of Independence). For centuries, the American dream has meant having a good job, owning a home, having a nice family, and generally enjoying life as best as possible. As history progressed, however, people began working to achieve individualistic success by any means necessary. Travel back to the 1930s in New York on a beautiful spring morning. A boy, Moss Hart, recalls that back then “wealth, rank or an impressive name counted for nothing. The dream of the wonderful American was to have a fair chance of climbing the walls and getting what he wanted” (Kamp 1). Now fast forward a century, to 2014. Today in America, success does not reflect how… middle of paper… in American culture places economic success at the pinnacle of social desirability, without listing legitimate ways to achieve the desired goal (Merton 672-682). Today, the American Dream no longer reflects Adams' dream, but rather the idea that one can only be truly successful if one has become rich, regardless of how one got there. The American Dream does not guarantee happiness, but rather the pursuit of it, but with the media strongly persuading people that money guarantees happiness, people are encouraged to do whatever it takes, even ignoring their own morals, in order to achieve success. ' Failure to achieve this often leads people to destructive and ultimately life-threatening criminal behavior, as their feelings of anxiety and frustration with this vision of the “American Dream” get the better of them..