When the house has gone silent and dark, what type of thoughts occupy the mind of an 18-year-old accused of vehicular homicide?

Does he replay all of the decisions that led him, police say, to race down Bayshore Boulevard in a 2018 Mustang at breakneck speed?

Does he force himself to think about a beautiful mother and her 21-month-old daughter who went together for a walk and never came home?

Is he consumed by guilt? Fear? Regret?

Or is he thinking about getting his car keys back, so he can drive to freshman orientation on some college campus in the fall?

The deaths of Jessica Raubenolt and her daughter, Lillia, were devastating enough. And yet it is somehow worse to know an attorney was in court a few days later asking a judge to reinstate Cameron Herrin's driving privileges.

The attorney was entitled to ask, of course, just as the judge was within his right to deny such an absurd request.

But, it seems to me, the larger issue is one of propriety.

Forget about the legal definition of guilt. That will be decided at another time and place. This is more about accepting responsibility and paying with a conscience.

If the police investigation is correct, two people died because Herrin was foolish and selfish and reckless. Even if there are extenuating circumstances we do not yet know, he still played a role in the destruction of a young family.

And his lawyer thinks having his car taken away is too harsh?

Maybe I'm out of line. Maybe I'm reading too much into a standard attorney request. It just seems that each new day brings another reminder that personal responsibility has sadly become an old-fashioned concept.

It is not unlike the horrific story in Pinellas County two years ago when three teenaged girls, with a history of grand theft auto arrests, allegedly stole a car and tragically died after driving into a swamp-like pond when a cop tried to pull them over. Their families later sued the Sheriff's Office.

It is true, the world is a messy place, and stories are rarely cut and dried. Every situation has some level of explanation, and everyone deserves to point out their unique circumstances.

But at what point does personal responsibility take over?

It is not a stretch to call Herrin a victim, too. A victim of a poor decision. A victim of youthful indiscretion. His life will never be the same, and that is worth lamenting as well.

Herrin needs, and deserves, a good legal defense. No matter how this case is eventually adjudicated, he needs to think about his future because he will still get a chance at a normal life. His attorney called him a "good kid.'' A "nice kid.'' A kid who had never been in trouble.

So, yes, all of that is in his favor and needs to be considered.

But it doesn't mean his life gets to pick up right where it left off. Not while another young man is planning funeral services for a wife and daughter, and wondering where his life goes from here.

If there is anything to be taken out of this awful situation, perhaps it is that.

There are always consequences.

That should go without saying, but sometimes, we seem to forget. And failing to teach that to our children may have a consequence of its own.