▁life ▁as ▁a ▁child . ▁While ▁Hum bert ▁hints ▁throughout ▁the ▁novel ▁that ▁he ▁has ▁committed ▁murder , ▁its ▁actual ▁circumstances ▁are ▁not ▁described ▁until ▁near ▁the ▁very ▁end . ▁N PR ' s ▁Bret ▁Anthony ▁John ston ▁notes ▁that ▁the ▁novel ▁is ▁sort ▁of ▁an ▁invert ed ▁murder ▁mystery : ▁the ▁reader ▁knows ▁someone ▁has ▁been ▁killed , ▁but ▁the ▁reader ▁has ▁to ▁wait ▁to ▁find ▁out ▁who ▁the ▁victim ▁is . ▁ ▁Similarly , ▁the ▁online ▁Double day ▁publish er ' s ▁reading ▁guide ▁to ▁L ol ita ▁notes ▁" the ▁mystery ▁of ▁Qu ilty ' s ▁identity ▁turns ▁this ▁novel ▁into ▁a ▁kind ▁of ▁detect ive ▁story ▁( in ▁which ▁the ▁protagon ist ▁is ▁both ▁detect ive ▁and ▁criminal ). " ▁This ▁effect ▁is , ▁of ▁course , ▁lost ▁in ▁the ▁Kub rick ▁film . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁novel , ▁Miss ▁Pr att , ▁the ▁school ▁principal ▁at ▁Be ards ley , ▁discuss es ▁with ▁Hum bert ▁Dol ores ' s ▁behavior al ▁issues ▁and ▁among ▁other ▁things ▁persu ades ▁Hum bert ▁to ▁allow ▁her ▁to ▁particip ate ▁in ▁the ▁dram at ics ▁group , ▁especially ▁one ▁up coming ▁play . ▁In ▁the ▁film , ▁this ▁role ▁is ▁replaced ▁by ▁Qu ilty ▁dis gu ised ▁as ▁a ▁school ▁psych ologist ▁named ▁" Dr . ▁Z emp f ". ▁This ▁dis gu ise ▁does ▁not ▁appear ▁in ▁the ▁novel ▁at ▁all . ▁In ▁both ▁versions , ▁a ▁claim ▁is ▁made ▁that ▁L ol ita ▁appears ▁to ▁be ▁" sex ually ▁repr