If one family neglects their children, chances are those kids can find another home in the neighborhood where they get some support and shelter. If someone is sick, neighbors will bring food. If someone is getting into trouble, the neighbors are likely to know about it and take steps to correct the situation. And in a community that works, those who make mistakes have an opportunity and an incentive to make amends and be reaccepted into the community. When these community bonds fail, people begin to fear rather than rely on neighbors.
Values come from the pseudo-community of television, rather than from the elders.
Those who want something they don't have may feel less compunction about taking it by force. The absence of a sense of interconnectedness also manifests itself in policies at state and national scales and in the actions of large corporations. When people are unable to support their family or to have a reasonable hope for the future, their bonds to their family and community are put under enormous stress. Even the communities that get the new jobs that were moved away from other communities may not be better off. According to criminologist Elliot Currie, both communities experiencing economic booms and busts tend to have high crime rates.