Respectfully, Mom you wouldn't catch me dead hanging out with people pretending to take up the rear, Halloween party or not. it is important to know your sudience before making a blanket statement like that. That is trashy and classless in my opinion. It is her pergotative what she does, when and how. I don't hang out with classless rear ends - please don't group me with having my children around people that display that type of behavior. Money is not even an issue - some of the poorest people I know have more class than some of the wealthiest people I know. So, this is not an economic issue IMO. I am not June Cleaver either but I like to abide by a simple moral compass - something missing in this country. I might be a little more sypathetic to the situation with mom having a stable family life. Not saying this is her fault, but in her situation you need to be more vigilant. Heck, in this day and age EVERYONE has to be vigilant.
This is a perfect example of Maslow's Hierarchy. Food, Sex and breathing ETC being the lowest on the chain. Once these things are acheived you can go on to saftey of your family etc etc..Yes, it is right there on the chart. This story it seems she is on the lowest level of Maslows heirarchy. I am sure it has flucuated up and down but by no means secure over a period of time. Please don't ask me to explain this unless you take the time to read about it.
Read about Maslow to get a beter understanding:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs