The "pop-psych" analyses of both Nobel and Mrs Winchester have been frequently recited, but neither is confirmed by any reliable accounts that I've seen.

Nobel's own testimony generally held forth his belief that what he had done was a "good thing" of which he was not ashamed. He did realize that some people who saw only the destructive uses of dynamite believed that he was some sort of monster who had created something "evil," but there is some fairly substantial evidence that he disagreed.

Nobel apparently believed that making the good things done by scientists and other leaders better known would influence those who (wrongly - in his opinion) seek to "blame science and other advanced arts" for all the world's ills; and would help lead them to an understanding of the value of progress. The prizes he established were intended largely to publicize those who made some "worthy progress," and to provide a monetary reward sufficient to cause people to see that there was a "real value" in their work.

Nobel was "abused" by many because of his invention, and he responded to the abuse; but there is little real substantiation for the belief that he felt "guilty" about what he had done.

The story about Mrs Winchester's guilt is of a similar sort. She was very much sheltered by her husband and appears to have had no idea of how to get by without him. The house was incomplete when he died, and she grasped the completion of the house as her "purpose," - and her only purpose - in life. She became so obsessed with "completing" the house that she became convinced that her purpose would be fulfilled and she would die when it was finished. She was frankly insane (but rich) in her obsession with the house, but apparently retained some sense that she didn't want to die; so she kept adding things to the house to prevent it from ever being finished. Guilt over Winchester's guns is most likely a fabricated fantasy by someone who simply believed that she should feel guilty - and a lot of people seemed to like the idea.

Believe them if you choose to - they're nice romanticized tales; but neither of these is likely to have much more real substance than believing in the tooth fairy - who never showed up the last 10 or so times I put mine out to be found.

John