I generally do not intervene in other peoples’ lives unless there is eminent danger, or it is a life and death situation. In the past 10 years or so, I have involved myself twice with strangers on the subway. Once was with a man having a heart attack. The other, with a woman who fell and broke her hip.

The Spiral of Silence theory still holds true for me on a crowded subway car during rush hour. The oldest child, from your account, seemed to have an awareness of their situation and was handling it accordingly. If I had seen what you saw, I would probably feel more sympathy.

I most likely would have done nothing: observed them discretely, kept my judgement private, and continue on with my journey with a hope and prayer for their well-being.