So how did he explain no money, or was he stealing it somewhere like Casey obviously did?
I don't really know all of the details--I was the "kid" in the situation, so money stuff wasn't really discussed a lot with me. My sibs and I have pieced stuff together after the fact. We all had very different experiences--somehow, we were kept very emotionally isolated from one another growing up. Certain alliances were very much discouraged--it was quite odd.
Anyway, from what I gather, the fact that he chose an occupation that was commission-based bought him a lot of flexibility in terms of his lies. I am sure he was able to explain away lack of income by saying he hadn't yet sold a property, or he'd split his commission with another broker, or that the closing had fallen through, etc. He did actually have a real estate license, so he'd periodically sell a single property--that bought even more time.
My mother had money--a lot of it, some in joint accounts. He could shift stuff around to a certain degree without raising her antennae, to make it appear as though he'd made a deposit. He paid the bills (by this, I mean he wrote the checks, not that he earned the income), so he could conceal his spending from her. She didn't know that he didn't have cash for small incidental purchases, but rather charged them.
It all was made much easier by her alcoholism. If he could shine her on through the cocktail hour, then it was smooth sailing for him for the next 24 hours or more.
It was really quite twisted!
What an interesting story. The thing that boggles my mind about this scenario as well as Casey's is... didn't anyone ever question where the paycheck was?
There were a bazillion things that didn't add up. In retrospect, it was positively an insane household. But as a kid, even a young adult, it was just easier to play along than rock the boat. The guy could be quite scary. We learned to smile and nod and totally deny that we were anything other than the Brady Bunch.
All that said, when I lived in the same house, I didn't know he had no income. My mother was deeply ashamed of it, and never, ever would have admitted it at that time. It wasn't until I was much older--visiting from out of town and witnessing his act--that I put two and two together. My brother verified it'd been going on for years. (He lived in the home longer.) My mother ultimately admitted shortly before her death five years ago that she'd been supporting them since ...oh...let's see (doing mental math) 1977. She felt as though she had too much to lose if she divorced him. A very sad life for her, really.