Misfortune increases vulnerability to further misfortune

Sad to say, but when one bad thing happens to a family, their vulnerability to more bad events increases. For example, when a parent is ill and cannot work, a teen child takes up some of the slack, getting a part-time job which interferes with sleep and school. Then the child's grades drop. With a reduced income and increased medical bills, the family can no longer pay their mortgage and must seek other housing. The teen gives up on school and drops out to work more hours. This is but one example of how one stressful event can be compounded.

I, like so many people, led a charmed life until I was about 40 years old. While sympathetic, I did not fully understand the plight of homeless families or of people with severe and chronic illnesses or