Mr Clutter is a “very nice gentleman” – even his murderers agree! He is a benevolent presence in Holcomb and a devoted family man who runs the farm and pays his employees generously. He also dedicates himself to his community through the “4-H Club” which embodies the four values Herb holds dear: “Head, Heart, Hands, Health.” He loves his wife and worries greatly for her mental health, he is proud of his eldest daughters and their choice of husband/fiancé respectively, he is especially close with Nancy who is in every way the golden child (though her relationship with Bobby causes some tension), and he holds affection for his young and only son Kenyon who he knows is unlikely to grow up to manage the farm one day but will hopefully find his way in life. Though Mr Clutter is not a two-dimensionally flawless man, he is undeniably a good man, and Capote repeatedly affirms this from the perspective of multiple characters.
