If Jeanette Walls' story is true (and it feels true to me, but I've been burned before) then this is what I think. Her parents were selfish, narcissistic, immature, and lazy. They (and she?) rationalized their behavior as letting their children be independent, following their own dreams, and being free spirits unhampered by caring about societal expectations and norms (and laws, respect for private property, and so on). In reality, they neglected and abused their children, indulged themselves at their childrens' expense, stole property, destroyed property, and ruined everything they touched. As parents, we have the responsibility to take care of our children and make sure they are safe (not cooking hotdogs at age three, falling out of cars, getting pawed in bed by neighborhood perverts, etc.). Unlike many people who live hand to mouth because of circumstances beyond their control, these people were not poor by accident; they chose to live the way they did, to let their children go hungry, to let their children get hurt. Sure, they "loved" them, but not enough to pay attention to them and take care of them and to put up with the tedium of jobs and taxes and being accountable. I suppose, for her sake, it's a good thing that Jeannette Walls has forgiven her parents. I wouldn't.