LAWRENCE
Lawrence Jacob Stuyvesant was born into quasi-aristocracy in New York City, 1867, as the eldest son of a prominent real estate developer and philanthropist. His early upbringing was very comfortable and he was loved by his parents, especially by his mother, Dulcie, who showered him in whatever their privilege would afford them: expensive and elaborate toys, trips, dinners, etc. He recalls this time with some fondness, though it is overshadowed by the latter half of his upbringing: His mother would have two more sons, Alois, born in 1870, then Malcolm shortly after in '71. His mother, who he was deeply bonded to, remained warm and affectionate towards him but no longer spent much time with him. Lawrence eventually found himself vying for his parents' attention. As the younger pair grew, Lawrence found that they were troublesome and annoying. Though Lawrence himself was a bit of spoiled brat and a little entitled, it was overshadowed by his kindness, knowing when enough was enough, and his eagerness to help out- his brothers, on the other hand, would play cruel pranks on the family’s servants, leave huge messes and were completely undisciplined.
As Lawrence hit his pre-teens, his parents put more pressure on him to be respectable and proper while his brothers received more lax treatment. They also commanded a majority of their parents' attention. In time, Lawrence would observe his brother's behaviors evolve from questionable child-like mischief to something darker; conduct that would end in servants fired or people hurt, all the while skirting responsibility. They became increasingly manipulative and callous, and to Lawrence, they were essentially rewarded for it. He would notice the same behavior in his parents. He was put off by the way they treat and talk about their business partners and supposed friends, servants, anyone. They were perfectly fine exploiting people, leaving them penniless, unemployed, etc, while making a show of the very few and very public donations they did make to their community. There was something so ingenuine and corrupt about the way his family was, and though he was still too young to put words to it, he was disgusted by it.
It became clear to him that he would be expected to eventually manage the family' s businesses, fall in line and become a man. He, unfortunately, was very intelligent and caught on to things quickly, which would result in his private education becoming progressively more intensive. Along with his basic education, he was made to learn manners and etiquette, politics, various sports, etc. He would often be forced into social events like galas, balls, dinners, all of which he began to detest, and was also bad at- he was awkward and usually found the people in attendance disagreeable. His brothers would also start to sabotage his studies and his standing with people in their social circles, prospective friends- they would be successful in alienating people from him, and often get him in trouble with his parents. Lawrence would spend his teens isolated and very stressed. He developed severe anxiety about his future and life, and it would manifest in various ways; perfectionism, depression and generally being highly irritable.