257). Professor Fuchs was unable to comprehend that Jeannette had a much more complex understanding of homeless people and thus decided to associate her with the stereotype of coming from a privileged environment. .
Jeannette is particularly interested in social acceptance and she feels that it would be impossible for someone like her mother or her father to be socially accepted while continuing to display such socially inacceptable behaviors. Professor Fuchs' challenge to Jeannette of what she knows "about the hard-ships and obstacles that the underclass faces" (p. 257), is likely what influences Jeannette to keep quiet. It is her belief people like Professor Fuchs are actually the ones who will never be able to understand homeless people. .
In reading The Glass Castle, it appears that Jeannette is not necessarily frustrated with who her parents are as one would expect a child of such family structure and lifestyle would be. Instead, she appears more irritated with society's attitudes and their tendency to discriminate despite a lack of understanding of her situation. She also appears reluctant to speak out due to her own disappointment with her attitude towards society and her situation, which is further reason for her to deny her background.
The Walls family is dysfunctional because Rex and Mary Rose are unable to see further than their personal objectives, nor understand how their behaviors reflect negatively on their children. While Jeannette seems happy most of the time, she also seems tormented as a result of trying to present herself as someone she is not. While the family's dysfunctional condition does not prevent them from personal satisfaction regarding their situation, things gradually start to unravel and they experience more and more hardships as a consequence of their reluctance to address the issues plaguing their family and the results of their life choices.