I will say what stands out to me in that post from Jen is that they cut off friends - at the very least, people that had their phone numbers. I can sympathize with the post, but ignoring friends is a red flag.
BBM
I think it goes along with other descriptions of being insular. All the stresses sound like they stay inside that home and bounce around the people inside it rather than phone calls and coffee meets with friends to get stuff off your chest.
I had misunderstood at the beginning, I thought it was the Dekalbs who'd moved in recently. How long had the Harts lived in the WA home?
Moving home is stressful. Bereavement is stressful (it hurts to lose an animal family member). Cancer is stressful. And cancer can sometimes return. A kid running to the neighbor saying she's being abused. A kid running to the neighbor saying he's having food withheld. CPS on the doorstep *again*, and given the moves following previous CPS interactions that's going to be a major stressor. A feeling that the world doesn't understand...having to face so many comments from the trolls of the world. A feeling of having to struggle against "the government".
Six kids between 12 and 19 years old, all cooped up in that home and going through all those things as well. Teen hormones exploding all over the place. Teens that are used to going to outdoors events, singing and dancing at hippy festivals, hiking and camping expeditions.
An entire family that's engrossed in how people are oppressed by governments and each other with racism, sexism, gender identity, same-sex relationships, marriage and parenting, the destruction of the environment. They educate themselves and the children (some might say that with the children there's a fine line between positive education in these topics to build a sense of empowerment and the negative aspects of being immersed in those issues and struggles). What happens when the family loses the ability to take off for a festival and relax among like-minded people?
That song with the line about driving into the ocean...it was called Mr Washington? As in Mr Washington DC? The one who just sent his CPS minions out to check up on your family which is already stressed out and in some places breaking under the stress?