The styles range from the least refined to the extremely polite form. The levels vary according to status, rank, age, and level of intimacy between the speakers. Mockery and insults are used only by the lower class and the extreme upper class. In the Javanese culture, individuals are free to choose their own spouses. Sometimes marriages are arranged by parents, but this is rare.
Divorce is common and is permitted by Muslim law.
Javanese children are completely indulged until the age of two or four. Then the discipline becomes very strict, almost cruel. The most common methods of discipline include verbal warnings, corporal punishment, comparison to siblings and other children, and threats of open punishment. The latter encourages children to be fearful and shy around strangers. Mothers are the primary caregivers, while the fathers are more distant.