Conclusion
These particular case histories were specially chosen because each represents a different set of circumstances which led the girls to becoming Lolitas.
Judy's affair with an older man, a teacher, developed out of a relationship that began as an intellectual one. Although Judy was both intellectually and sexually precocious, these traits are not common to all Lolitas.
Tami's case, like that of the Nabokov novel, is an instance of a girl becoming involved with her stepfather. The chances of such a thing taking place are probably a lot greater than most people realize, and many such cases undoubtedly go unrecorded.
Natalie presents an example of the parentless girl who is placed in a foster home which is, according to some authorities, a classic situation in which Lolitaism may develop. Although the A's, with whom she was placed, differ from most foster parents in their being extremely well-to-do, the situation that ensued was typical.
Ginger's story is one which occurs somewhat more rarely. Although having a promiscuous mother frequently leads to abnormal behavior of one kind or another in an adolescent girl, Ginger's reaction can only be considered extreme.
Elizabeth, who rebelled against everything her religious family attempted to teach her, is perhaps more typical. It is not at all unusual that an extremely rigid upbringing leads to extreme sexual behavior such as promiscuity, homosexuality, or Lolitaism.
Of course, these are just some of the situations out of which Lolitaism can develop. Probably far more typical is the case of the well-adjusted, middle-class girl who carries on affairs with older men, but is never found out or referred to a social or psychological agency for counseling. Such cases go unrecorded, but are probably a lot more frequent than one would generally assume.
The Lolitas dealt with here are all girls with problems, otherwise their stories would not have been available. Their individual problems have been given some interpretation in the material accompanying the recorded sessions. What is perhaps most important is to consider what problems they all share.
Invariably, the home lives of these girls show themselves to be less than satisfactory. All but Elizabeth lacked a natural father, and Elizabeth's father was quite clearly incapable of understanding her problems. Also, none of the girls had a mother with whom they could establish any real rapport. Judy considered her mother intellectually inferior. Tami's mother overplayed her role, was overprotective and refused to see Tami as anything but a child. Little is known of Natalie's natural mother, but her first foster mother was too concerned with her extensive charitable activities to give Natalie the attention she needed. Ginger's mother, by her unfaithful and promiscuous behavior, would seem to have incited Ginger's subsequent seduction of her lovers. And Elizabeth's mother, like her father, was too simplistically religious to have any real comprehension of her daughter's intellectual or sexual life.
Interestingly enough, however, none of these girls can truly be absolved of the accusation of having provoked their affairs. Even though Tami's stepfather turned out to be a man with an uncontrollable preference for young girls, there was a kind of seething sensuality underlying Tami's pretended innocence. The other girls were more honest: they had wanted to lose their virginity and they admitted to taking the initiative in creating a situation where this would happen. This particular aspect of Lolitaism is far too often misunderstood and usually it is the man who, if apprehended, receives the blame and severe punishment.
The man who is seduced by a Lolita is the victim of circumstances that are sometimes unavoidable. But also, the girl is a victim of circumstances created by our society and by the common inadequacy of parent-child relationships. Sometimes both the girl and the man emerge from the relationship unscathed and able to live normal lives. Often enough, both need help, not just help with sexual problems but help in learning to conceive of themselves as worthwhile human beings. In any event, they deserve the sympathy of other members of our society.