People
Always be nice to your children because they are the ones who will choose your rest home.
— Phyllis Diller
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
Kindness toward children gets a comically selfish reason: they may later decide where their parent lives. The joke turns a lesson about being caring into advice about looking after your own future. Its force comes from imagining the balance of power changing with age.
Context reviewed