The quote "all happy families are alike: each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way" is a true statement for most families. Most happy families have lots of love and are often wealthy and generally don't have very big problems. The makings for an unhappy family can stem from numerous different problems and situations. In the novel Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt there are many reasons why his family is unhappy. .
The biggest reason why the McCourt family is unhappy is because they are extremely poor. They rarely have any food, clothes or even blankets to keep them warm at night. This alone can cause lots of anxiety and stress in a household. Another big problem of the family is that the father is an alcoholic who rarely can keep a job. Even when his father does keep a job he often spends his weeks wages on booze. This causes lots of tension in the family because it is hard to love a father who is never there for his kids or his wife.
I think the McCourt family did love each other in some ways, but the mother had lots of other problems to worry about, and sometimes was guilty of neglecting her children. If kids grow up not being loved it is impossible for them to feel happy in there home. The fact that the McCourt's were so poor also made the children outcasts in school. Often Frank and his brother would go to school with shoes that had no heels and wearing clothes that they wore every day and were often not clean. This caused the kids at school to tease Frank and his brother and that can be very hurtful. Instead of coming home to a house that would support the boys and what they were going through, they had to go home and deal with there problems alone and at a very young age.
Another big reason why the McCourt family was unhappy was because they had a lot of death occurrences in their family. Having a new baby being born and than dying a few months later is extremely tragic and heartbreaking.