General Discussion

As in the Aesop's fable, "The Thief and His Mother," where a boy starts stealing small things, encouraged by his mother, and grows into a criminal; when executed, he bites off her ear, blaming her for his downfall because she didn't punish him early on, teaching that vices must be stopped at their roots. The boy first steals a writing tablet, then clothes, and eventually bigger items, leading to his capture and execution. As he's led to the gallows, he asks to speak to his mother privately, then bites off her ear, telling her if she had corrected him for the first theft, he wouldn't have become a thief.

Mr. Ross, you contributed to the crime. You were blind to your son's past transgressions and now you are denying them.

Rob Reiner wasn't a perfect father, but he at least addressed his son's violations.