I admit I read books basically to see how characters or people endure or adapt in this world. And what I've found is that most of us can survive much tougher odds than we thought we could, much more pain and discomfort. And I laugh at myself and all the middle class parents breaking their necks to give their kids everything. These kids suffered tremendously, it was obvious. Yet they were given many gifts along the way, and developed the greatest resourcefulness as a result.And my husband's and my own experience working in jobs we hated to pay the mortgage makes me understand the parents' choices a little better. What, really, did we give our kids but material comforts and unhappy parents.