class due to late nights at the bowling alley, Bonin frequently missed school and was suspended on one occasion. By his teenage years, Bonin had developed an unrelenting and obsessive interest in pedophilia, keeping his emerging feelings for young boys a secret. His sexuality later became the basis of a long-standing conflict with his mother, who believed his sexual inclinations to be a curable social disorder. As such, the two frequently argued about his homosexual attraction. Very seldom, Bonin attempted to publicly court and/or interact with females as an adolescent. On one occasion, he was humiliated and rejected by a girl whom he had worked up his courage to approach and ask for a date. This incident wounded his self-esteem and increased Bonin's belief that he "just couldn't make it with girls" as romantic partners; he resolved to never allow a female to hurt him this deeply again. Despite this, Bonin – desiring to please his mother and appear normal – soon began dating a young girl at his high school named Linda shortly after turning seventeen, with whom he was never "completely comfortable". Following these events, Bonin lured and molested several neighborhood children, pleading guilty to a petty theft charge for which he was fined $56 in late 1965. In early 1966, Bonin dropped out of high school and obtained employment with the help of his father. Bonin's mother – allegedly extremely emotionally controlling and protective of her son – reportedly refused to acknowledge his acts of molestation, as well as the general escalating antisocial behavior exhibited by Bonin throughout his adolescence. Unable to sleep and frequently worried he would be arrested for petty crime or crimes involving children, she prayed for him and warned him often, frustrating Bonin. Nonetheless, Bonin's mother, later expressing extreme disappointment and contempt for her middle son's sexuality and actions, evicted her son from the household on at least one occasion for undisclosed reasons. Lacking motivation and frequently borrowing money from his parents, Bonin joined the military with his mother's encouragement in December 1966. Engagement and U.S. Air Force Deciding to marry upon his return home, Bonin and Linda became engaged. This engagement had largely been at the behest of his mother, with whom Bonin held a recurrent source of conflict pertaining to his evident homosexuality and who – insisting he lead a heterosexual lifestyle – believed the prospect of marriage would quell her