When Mr. Rogers was a child, he suffered from obesity and shyness. Because of this, he often found himself taunted and made fun of during his walks home from school. Mr. Rogers said of his past: 

“I used to cry to myself when I was alone, I would cry through my fingers and make up songs on the piano.”

His experience with childhood bullying is the reason why he decided to see everyone for who they were on the inside, rather than their outside.