In those of English ancestry the disgrace of having a near relative, even so distant as a great-uncle or great-aunt or sister-in-law, "come upon the town" is felt keenly.
The sacrifices of many people of limited means to prevent such a catastrophe would make a long and heavy list of discomforts and privations.

The duty of brothers, sisters, and next of kin to help provide for the poorer members of the family connection is thus still held firmly by social ideals.

That all people, however, pay this debt of family responsibility or that as many struggle to do it as used to do so cannot be affirmed.

On the contrary, many charitable societies make it a serious business to discover and hold to responsibility shirking members of families in which there is great discrepancy in financial condition.
There is now, however, no recognized social responsibility for giving support to poorer members of the family within one household.

There is no pressure to bring those needing material relief tinder the roof of the well-to-do of the family circle.