Hundreds of fans overflowed the pink plush fold-down seats of Science Center C Tuesday to get a look into the mind that created Mystic River, the acclaimed novel of crime and retribution that was made into a star-studded, much-applauded film in 2003.

“I would love to believe in a world in which justice prevails, but I don’t see it much,” said Dennis Lehane, the novel’s author, after a free screening of the movie.

In a 45-minute question and answer period, Lehane discussed his personal experience and outlook and how they affected the writing of Mystic River.

Lehane won the Anthony Award and Barry Award for Best Novel for the book, which was published in February 2001. He also won the Massachusetts Book Award in Fiction and was a finalist for the PEN/Winship Award.

The film received widespread critical acclaim and saw two of its leading actors—Sean Penn and Tim Robbins—take home the Academy Award for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively.

In the opening scenes of the film, the three main characters—then 10 years old—are approached by a man claiming to be a police officer after they write their names in wet cement. The man, whose badge is fake and who is not wearing a uniform, insists on taking Dave Boyle (later played by Robbins) to his mother, shoving him in the back seat of his car. He then sexually molests the boy for four days, setting up the rest of the film.

The three main characters, also including Jimmy Markum (Penn) and Sean Devine (Kevin Bacon), reunite 25 years later when Jimmy’s daughter is brutally murdered.

Lehane said Tuesday that the major inspiration for Mystic River came from a childhood fight in which he participated.

After two police officers initially broke up the fight, Lehane said, he and the other youth resumed their melee. The police returned and drove Lehane and his adversary back to their homes.

Lehane said his mother was alarmed—not because the two boys were fighting, but rather because they never noticed if the officers had been wearing badges.

“I can never forget the look on my mom’s face,” Lehane said.

Lehane implied that his character Dave’s abduction was an alternate scenario of what he and his foe might have experienced had their failure to confront the officers about their identities proved more serious.

In addition to that experience, Lehane said he focused on the issue of child molestation after spending several years working with sexually abused children.

“When it comes to politics, I am slightly to the left of Canada,” Lehane said. “But on one issue, I am to the right of Pat Buchanan. That’s child predators. I think if you’re caught once—life. Chances are, when you’re caught for the first time, you’ve probably already molested six other kids.”

“I worked with sexually abused kids for several years,” Lehane added. “Once it’s in the blood, it never comes out.”