Their fear was contagious

They can always think of a good reason for not being able to lift yourself out of the dirt and drunkenness. Their fear was contagious. I was born among them, nothing easier than to become one of them again...

in Les Armoires Vides (Cleaned Out) de Annie Ernaux

You realize that it's all determined

It never occurred to me that money might be at the root of these differences, I thought one was born clean or dirty, orderly or slovenly. The drunkenness, the tins of corned beef, the newspaper hung on a nail in the outhouse, I assumed that they wanted it that way, that they liked it like that.

It's not until you've had a chance to think about it quite a bit, until you've read and studied a bit, especially when you are a child, that you realize that it's all determined.

in Les Armoires Vides (Cleaned Out) de Annie Ernaux