their middle-class upbringing led to a middle-class life when they reached the age of adults , for though you may think of them as living in a timeless world of icecream cones and the sound of baseball bats on hot summer afternoons , of mailmen pulling pennies from little boys ' ears and little girls crying because their older brothers tease them , like you and me they had no choice but to grow up and become aware of all the complexities and responsibilities of life .