To be more clear, I would have to say the action that was interesting for me happened in the first and next to the last chapters. The comment that communities with permissive parents equate to lower crime is not relevant. What is relevant is how much attention a child gets. Suburbia is noted for smaller families and higher income families. It logically follows that these children get more attention.
Attention is the one single factor that determines how a child turns out.
Now given that children are not properly brought up, I think it follows that they must learn the cause and effect of punishment with negative behavior. Heinlein's comment about raising a puppy is highly relevant and certainly applies to children. My girl friend recently got a new puppy and I discoverd that even dog training philosphy has changed - experts and books no longer recommend any kind of physical punishment. They also agree with you about giving lots of attention when the dog is young. You can't teach an old dog new tricks.