Sweet Venom shows how childhood abuse has left lasting marks on numerous characters, including Violet, by shaping their reactions, sense of self, and ability to form close relationships. Her progression from hiding behind oversized clothing to cautiously embracing her own desire reflects a path that absorbs the past rather than erasing it. Violet searches for safety in relationships that echo the force of her early experiences, which lets her reinterpret her experiences within a different setting with a renewed sense of agency. This path toward healing, emotional vulnerability, and self-determination is echoed in Jude’s character arc.

Violet builds her identity around the self-effacement she learned from her mother. She follows her mother’s line, “If you lay low and shut your trap, you won’t get into trouble” (6), by choosing baggy hoodies and large glasses to blend in. This habit grew out of fear. During danger, her body often locks up instead of fighting back. These reactions show how her trauma shapes her behavior and reinforces her sense of being powerless. This is reflected in the childhoods of the Vencor heirs, all of whom mention the violence and control they were exposed to, primarily by their fathers. Jude’s father, Regis, forced him to watch and partake in gruesome crimes, in addition to his mother’s physical abuse, and he hates the powerlessness he felt in those scenarios. As a result, he projects his shame onto others, deciding to punish those who froze—like he would as a child—when faced with his mother’s death.

Jude’s internalized resistance toward emotional intimacy mirrors Violet’s own rejected of sexual intimacy. Her past also shapes her approach to sex. Violet grew up watching her mother’s violent and transactional relationships and later had her own detached experiences. As such, Jude’s attempt to torment Violet by forcing their proximity and coercing her sexually become an opportunity for him to emotionally relate to her while she discovers her preference for a dominant sexual partner. Jude further helps her heal from her trauma in the novel’s third act, when Violet’s belief that she’s a “curse” causes her final internal conflict. Her mother instilled the idea that she damages anyone she cares about. This belief pushes her to leave Jude after Preston’s death because she sees the event as proof that she ruins the lives around her. When Jude rejects her departure and pulls her back into his life, he challenges the story she tells about herself. He gives her a chance to view herself as someone who can be valued rather than hidden; meanwhile, she forces him to accept that he is deserving of love and forgiveness.