Rhiannon's Place

There is a part of me that says Dumbledore really did drop the ball here. But, and this is important, the one thing we forget is how old Dumbledore is. This is a man who was born in an era where children were seen and not heard. This is a man who when he attended school corporal punishments were still used. Did he use them as a teacher? Probably not, and he was most likely considered progressive for his time. What he considers abuse is likely more abusive than I would think.

The Dickensian upbringing of Harry is probably not considered all that abusive to a man Dumbledore's age. And for the most part Harry did survive it intact. He is still alive, still human and somewhere in him I think the memory of love exists and guides his choices.