Many people would agree, and most would at least feel that what he did was entirely understandable given the circumstances. But Patrick is not so sure; he clearly feels bad about what he has done. In reply to Remy's affirmation of him, Patrick says, 'My priest says shame is God telling you you've done something wrong.'
He's right. It is, of course, possible to feel shame simply because we've embarrassed ourselves, or because we've gone against some cultural expectations. But a sense of shame, allied to a well-tuned conscience, is an important indicator that we have not done what is right.
The well-tuned conscience aspect is tricky, though. Many people's consciences are governed by the culture around them, and in a culture that stresses consequentialist ethics, especially utilitarianism, that means fundamental moral principles play only a minor part in shaping the conscience.
Patrick, however, is shaped primarily by a Christian worldview. On two or three occasions he refers to things his priest has said to him. In a voiceover at the beginning of the film, Patrick recalls asking his priest how he could get to heaven without being corrupted by the world, and says, 'He told me what God said to his children: "You are sheep among wolves. Be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves."'[1] This creates an important context for the film, as is Patrick's first comment in the voiceover: 'I always believed it was the things you don't choose that make you who you are: your city, your neighbourhood, your family.' This comment is not revisited in the film, but it's immediately clear that he no longer thinks the same way.
We are partly defined by those things which we cannot choose, but who we really are comes down to the choices we make. Gone Baby Gone is the story of Patrick discovering this the hard way. Along the way he has been very much like a sheep among wolves in the seedy world he inhabits. His desire not to be dirtied by it is commendable, but he fails and, in a sense, loses his innocence. And because his conscience has been trained well by his upbringing, he knows it.
So what hope is there for Patrick now? Innocence, once lost, cannot be regained; there is no way back to how life had been before Bea and Lionel asked for help. Can he make amends by henceforth making decisions based on principles? Important though the priest's advice is, it seems that he doesn't really understand how to get to heaven.
