Claudius does feel guilty enough for killing his own
brother that he cannot bring himself to kill his nephew/stepson as well. Besides, having
two members of the royal family die so quickly might call undue attention to the
surviving family (shades of Macbeth).
Claudius sees that
Laertes is a "man of action" and chooses to take advantage of his anger and direct it
towards Hamlet. While Hamlet is indeed guilty of stabbing Polonius and hiding the body,
it was Claudius' scheming that put Polonius behind the
arras.
Hamlet also indirectly caused Ophelia's insanity,
because she was so dependent on the men in her life (Polonius, Laertes, and Hamlet) and
they have all abandoned her. It was easy for Claudius to direct Laertes' anger toward
Hamlet.
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