Amir actually believes that Baba hates him and blames him for his mother's death. Amir overhearing Baba's conversation with Rahim Khan only makes things worse. Amir concludes that Baba will only forgive him for killing his mother if he wins the kite fighting tournament and performs the last kite cut. This is the beginning of the end of Amir's life, because at this point, Amir would do anything to win the tournament and get the last kite. It's Baba's poor upbringing that causes Amir to let Hassan get raped, and Amir needs Baba's approval so much that for a moment, it's worth it to him. However, Amir's self-confidence and emotional health rapidly deteriorate and he carries the guilt of what he did to Hassan for the rest of his life. We see that this still affects him much older when he remarks that he believes that "something, someone, somewhere, had decided to deny [him] paternity for the things [he] had done ».”