The difference between leaving the nest and not having a nest -- the vibe people give in public.

[Robertcw]

I think there are two distinctive classes of people out and about during the day. Those that are away from home, and those that don't have a stable home.

Here's some fun examples from my one of my favorite anime's.

The look in his eye gives it away. His demeanor is ferral.

He has no home to return to. Consequently, the public is his home. When you see this type of person out in public, they act differently than someone with a place to return to. They are more reserved, more quiet, and probably more independent and self-relient in the extreme.

A ferral boy.

They aren't the loud, confident ones. But they are good enough to survive on their own merit, so they have this cold and assured aura about them.

Different example:

Loud, confident and cocky.

This is an example of the demeanor of someone with a place to return to. For these types of people, going out in public is an event, a spectacle, a sport. A time to be noticed and flaunt.

A boy with a happy home.

Indeed, he comes from a good family:

His place to return to.

The other guy, not so much:

This isn't from the show, but it's not too far from what this charachter's home looked like. An abandoned building.

These charachters are fiction, but they are rooted in reality. When out at a shopping mall, for instance, you can discern between these two types of people fairly reliably. There are those out to be wild temperarily only to return home to security and comfort, and those who never really left their homes in the first place and instead only move around.

They might come from unstable homes, or bounce between temporary living conditions. Often these later people would wish the former stopped being so loud and attention seeking, while the former wished the latter would stop being so boring and serious, like a kill-joy.

The thing is, people wouldn't act crazy at home near their family because it'd be loud and they'd trash the place. Likewise, those without stable families treat public spaces like their homes, because in many ways it's their only reliable home.

So yeah. Not sure where I was going with this, but if you spend anytime out people watching you can get an idea of who comes from stable homes and who doesn't just by observing them and how they move or present themselves. It can be a sorta fun way to pass time.

Just my 0.02.

by the way the show these photos are from is called Fairy Tail. I highly recommend it if anyone hasn't seen it.

✌