Hochschild used various resources to paint a very vivid picture of the Belgian occupation of the Congo. The images he included were particularly effective. Even if their placement seemed random, they revealed a very harsh and shocking reality, necessary to fully understand the crimes against humanity endured by the Congolese. Hochschild included background information on Leopold II himself, detailing his predilection for young girls and his obsession with having a male heir and preserving his royal lineage. Although this detracted from the story at times, it was, overall, necessary and helpful in understanding the true greed of Leopold II. Hochschild was sure to place the legitimate blame on King Leopold, repeatedly comparing him and the people who worked for him to the Nazis, thus making what happened in the Congo more understandable and in-depth..