The central theme of this book is change in family relationships. Negotiation now generates the rules within the family. In a social climate of uncertainty and vulnerability, the roles are no longer culturally pre-established; they are subject to ongoing re-negotiation. The rules of living together become more subjective and are based on the will of the familty members to stick and shared project of mutual care and concern, quite apart from the bonds of interdependence taken for granted in their lives
