Among the many letters from the past 50 years I found a short story in which a girl puts a boy's gloom in perspective.  The whole story is not worth reading, but this particular passage describes her family.  Few of us knew her parents. Most of us knew her.  Here is how she describes her family.

 “At least you were supposed to be born.  Somebody wanted you.  I was an accident.  Mama didn’t want me and Daddy didn’t have anything to do with it.  No, he had to act like a father to somebody else’s kid.  And that wasn’t the first time.  Nobody wanted Joe either.  Mama and Daddy never wanted us.  What do you think made Daddy start drinking.  He was making money and getting along fine until mama had Joe and I.  And did mama care?  No.  No.  She had him too scared to get a divorce.  She’s ruined his life for him ever since they were married.  And he lets her do it because he still loves her.  He’s a thin, little, tired man and wouldn’t hurt anyone, not even when they hurt him, but mama doesn’t care.  One time the doctor came to look at burns on Daddy’s arm that had become infected.  When the doctor asked him how he got it, Daddy said it didn’t matter.  But the doctor said it did and Daddy broke down crying and said, ‘She hit me, she hit me with a hot iron!’  then he ran into the kitchen and put his head on the table and cried like a baby.  I ruined everybody’s life because I’m not supposed to be here.  Mama and Daddy fight, Joe ran away, and now I sit here and make you sad telling you all this.  Oh, hell!”  She started crying quietly with her face in her hands.

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I like happy endings so I should note that the girl seized graduation to put as many miles as possible between her and her family.  She began a career, married, enjoyed a long life and full family, and still does.