CAIRO — Mustafa Fathy is proud of his participation in the demonstrations that toppled Egyptian President Hosni Mubrak, so it's hard for him to admit that he's still got a soft spot for 83-year-old deposed leader, whose trial resumes Monday.

Fathy, 27, had even penned a farewell poem in case he died fighting pro-Mubarak forces in Tahrir Square. But something stirred inside him when he saw the only president he'd ever known looking wan and infirm on a hospital bed behind the bars of a cage in court on Aug. 3. It wasn't exactly sympathy, he said, but close.

"He's a criminal and he must receive punishment," Fathy said firmly, then broke into confession mode: "OK, I felt pity for him. I'm not going to lie. What can I say? Egyptians are too kind-hearted."

Like Fathy, millions of Egyptians agitated for Mubarak's speedy prosecution on charges he conspired to have protesters killed, stole public funds and profiteered during his 30 years in power. Reliable public opinion surveys show that holding the former regime accountable for its actions remains a top priority for a majority of Egyptians.

Yet now that Mubarak is in court, many Egyptians are voicing reservations. Some are uncomfortable with the death penalty the charges carry. Some wonder whether it's productive to spend so much energy and money on a high-profile trial with elections looming in just two months. Still others advocate amnesty in order to show that revolutionary ideals don't include vengeance.

"I swear to God, I truly hate him, but when I saw him in court, I felt bad," confided Mahmoud Mohamed, 29, a physician. "I think he's guilty, but we have to let him go. We have to be better. Let's start with ourselves."

Once silent, Mubarak loyalists from the security forces and his now-defunct National Democratic Party are also finding their voice these days, chiding their countrymen for "humiliating" an elderly former head of state, an alleged cancer patient and decorated veteran. Their demands for clemency play right into the hearts of Egyptians who were force-fed decades of government propaganda depicting Mubarak as both pharaoh and father.

"He was a tyrant who committed so many injustices, but he was also a father figure to us," explained Ahmed Hussein, 23, a shop clerk who supported Mubarak's toppling. "I felt bad for him when I saw him in the cage. Yes, the regime hurt me. Yes, I suffered injustice, but still. Still."

Nearly two weeks have passed since Mubarak's first appearance in court was televised, and Egyptians are still parsing every detail: the hospital gurney, the bad dye job, the ashen face, and that familiar voice uttering what's become a popular catchphrase, "I completely deny all these accusations." Local newspapers report that teenagers are downloading the sound bite as their cell-phone ring tones.

"Mubarak didn't look like the war hero he claims to be. He looked more like a washed-up actor," sniped Mohamed Almansy Kandil, a columnist for the local Tahrir News.

Egyptian clerics, meanwhile, had a field day preaching a verse from the Quran that seemed tailor-made for the trial: "Our God, possessor of all sovereignty, You grant sovereignty to whomever You choose, You remove sovereignty from whomever You choose. You grant dignity to whomever You choose, and commit to humiliation whomever You choose."