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Almost all of single parents in the 90's were women, who faced gender discrimination, which limited their ability to earn a decent living. It is implied that Beatrice's husband did not support her writing profession. Career opportunities for women were limited, when she was a young adult. It is also implied that her husband passed away while the children were very young. There was a strong correlation between single parent households and poverty in the 90's. Most children in single parent households experienced at least some poverty while growing up. As a single parent, Beatrice plays a significant role in the socialization of her children. She lived through the times of the Great Depression and to this day has the fear of losing everything. That is why she is so thrifty. She never throws away the food, keeps her broken answering machine, and saves all of John's things from high school. She bought the cheapest food she could, because in her mind all products came from the same place. "Don't overpay; no reason to pay extra it is just wasting money" ( Brooks & Johnson, 1996).
Beatrice also needed society's approval. She had certain boundaries that she would never cross, evident in her behavior in public and in her excuses and explanations to strangers. She had to have a perfect reputation and felt very uncomfortable when things did not go her way. She lived according to a plan. She never introduced her lover Charles to John and Jeff, as her personal life had to be separate from her sons". She applied the same principles regarding her past. She never talked to her children about her past or her husband. She sacrificed her career for her children and John's success as a writher was unsettling for her. Jeff was never a threat, but John was; he represented everything she wanted and could not have in a career. .
Each family member in the movie deals with stress in very different ways.