And the ultimate simplicity of it is awe-inspiring. All you ever want to know - the only question that really matters is: are the children all right? Are they happy? Are they safe? And as long as the answer is 'yes', nothing, ultimately, matters. You come across the passage in the Grapes of Wrath, and go cold at the true: 'How can you frighten a man whose hunger is not only his own cramped stomach but in the wretched bellies of his children? You can't scare him - he has known a fear beyond every other.'