Leaders suffering from the "little man's syndrome" would also suffer from severe defensiveness, and paranoia, leading then to kill others in fear that they would be killed. There could be various explanations for the syndrome both Hitler and Stalin suffered from. One states that due to the similar childhood of the two prominent leaders, they resulted in similar attitudes as adults (6). "Hitler's father was an alcoholic that was married to his own cousin (7)." Stalin's father was an alcoholic shoemaker whose mother was a maid. Stalin learned to develop a relationship with his mother considering his father was never present (8). With the absence of the two men's fathers, or lack of a male role model, the two men had to make their own path. The poor life when they were raised could also be attributed to the irrational acts during the war. Hitler and Stalin both created camps to put people they felt they needed to rid the country of (9). Another major similarity of the two leaders was the time spent in jail. Both Hitler and Stalin spent time in Jail before they were famous world leaders (10). The similarities of the two leaders might make some expect the two to get along well, but instead like in most situations, when two people are exactly the same, they are driven insane by the other.
While the similarities contributed to the war, the differences also added greatly to the cause. While growing up Hitler was interested in the arts, and doing well in school (11). Stalin on the other hand was more interested in the militaristic issues, he was rebellious and was constantly in trouble (12). Later when Hitler joined the army, Stalin was focused on politics and getting involved in the government (13). As mentioned previously, both leaders spent time in jail. The only difference was the cause for imprisonment. Hitler was imprisoned for his attempt to seize power, but Stalin was caught robbing banks in support of his political party (14).