In the last year of her life, my elderly great-aunt became totally disabled. She always insisted on remaining at home and being taken care of by her only child: a son, my cousin-once-removed, now in his early 40s. And that is what happened. Regrettably, as she knew only too well, this son had been struggling with drugs for over a decade, and the care he gave her was haphazard at best. She died before dawn on Christmas Eve. This son has a 24-year-old son of his own: my second cousin. He is the one having to both plan and bear the cost of his grandmother’s funeral. Growing up, he scarcely saw his father; as an adult he is furious with him because of his drug habit and the poor care he took of my great-aunt....