The Glass Castle Lesson Plan

Why was it so easy for the Walls children to settle into New York?

Their self-sufficiency, which their parents drilled into them, played a significant role. Lori, Brian, and Jeannette all had ambitions and knew how to take care of themselves; in some ways it was because their parents had taught them to do so, and in other ways it was because they had to make up for their parents' deficiencies. Maureen, of course, struggled more than the others, but for a period Lori was able to take care of her and guide her to graduate high school. The notion of the city being a place where "people who were different" fit in might also play a role.

Why do the Walls parents move to New...