WW On Hopelessness

Hope is a strange thing. It's something that everyone wants but it's lost so quickly. It's not a solid state; it could almost be described as a feeling, and in that case it's difficult to describe, even. Depression and similar mental strife emphasize negativity in someone's life, and through that constant negativity, people lose what hope they have. And although many people deny and try to hide their hopelessness, even more are apparent about it.
   Only lately I met a boy like that in one of my brother's classes, someone not afraid to show that he had no faith in anything. He was a sullen-faced kid, and believed the worst was always going to happen, and that nothing would ever change that. He was only five years old, but despite his age he has the mindset and attitude of an adult. I asked what happened why he was so hopeless, and to my surprise he told me. He was an orphan; his dad died of overdose and his mom killed herself and his older and younger brothers in a family suicide, leaving him with an aunt who pays him no mind. They live in molding apartment in the deepest parts of Madison, and he usually sits on the complex's front steps because his aunt doesn't like him around. He told me he'd seen theft, murders, and crimes that no one ought ever see, and he kept a straight face while telling it all. Then he said something that shocked me--although more because he was only seven, and not any older. He told me "People don't deserve to live, and  places like where I live oughtn't even exist. I wish that I could live in a better place, but there's no point of wishing 'cause it ain't ever gonna happen. I'd run away but I don't have money, and I'm no thief so I'd just rot on the highway or something. Honestly, the only thing keeping me away from the knife in my aunt's kitchen is because I don't want to be like everyone else. It's not worth living but I guess I'll see it to the end. I don't know. Maybe I'll change my mind."
   I was too speechless to respond, and he left me pondering his flat expression. Even his voice was void of emotion, but not his eyes. His eyes told me that he wanted hope, but he felt he had no reason to search for some. It's beyond heartbreaking, that a child could fall so deep into depression, could feel so hopeless stuck in their situations. As a first world country especially we oughtn't have places like this. There are things the need to change here, but the question is where to start?