I think the reason this aspect of the room is so important is that it gives us a clue that the poverty was not self inflicted. The family did care about improving themselves and their surroundings, so their humanity shines through even in grinding poverty. Some people may look at that kind of image and imagine that they were OK with their situation because the girl looks happy and the parents have cobbled together scraps of fabric to make clothes that the girl can feel beautiful in, and used old newspaper to decorate the room and cover up the fact that their house is falling apart. Rather it should show us that our relative wealth does not separate us from poor people to any great extent. This girl doesn’t deserve to grow up in grinding poverty. She and her parents appreciate beauty and aren’t just suited to doing backbreaking work every day. They have dignity and take pride in their few possessions. That child could have a terrible life ahead of her or die young due to lack of access to education or medical care, but not because she is not valuable or significant to those near her. Despite any inherent qualities we have, none of us would likely have fared much better than her. I think that’s the heartbreaking aspect of the image.
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