I strongly agree with what Sarah is saying in her post. If Emil had not ventured into the dark side he would still be a sheltered little kid, living under his parent's rules in a veil of innocence. I think that we all have been in our own dark side. Because of his happenings with Kromer and Demian he is now not as unkown to some of the other things beyond his house and the simple world he was living in before. This "dark world" requires more of Emil and I think that, in a way, he enjoys being challenged. At home all he had to do was read the bible and not get rough while playing with his sisters. This other world requires him to think and be independent. I'm not sure if Demian has necesarily poisened Emil. We all have someone in our lives who influenced us to grow up or be more mature. Maybe Demian is that person in Emil's life, only a lot creepier.