As the severity of the Great Depression became more apparent in the years following its beginning, the effects on the American people also became far more prevalent. This video interview of a Great Depression worker from Britain displays this struggle openly. He discusses how the country has become aware of the dire economic situation they are in, and the stresses that have come with it for him and his family. His statements in the first 10 seconds of the video about how it didn’t pay to have a positive outlook at the time because of just how poor the conditions were give a glimpse into the gloomy mood that the people in Britain had at the time. This time placed an immeasurable amount of stress on these people, as many traditional American families only had one parent actively employed, so losing their only source of income caused distress in many households. It also forced many family dynamics to change, as some mothers would be forced to seek employment to support the families, leaving the men of the families to take on the role of housekeeper, which at the time was very embarrassing for the men.
Although, "Even fortunates who felt secure in their jobs and whose real incomes had risen were deterred by the persistent deflation. Why buy a motor vehicle, or a house, now, when both would be significantly cheaper in a few months’ time? Deflation increased the burden of existing debt and acted as a warning against the accumulation of new obligations." [1]. Essentially, even those with a source of income did not feel obligated to put it into assets as an investment, as they thought their value would only go down. Additionally, they faced the constant worry of losing them at any moment, which only added to the various pressures that they had to deal with. This ultimately caused them to overwork themselves, which in turn would affect their mental and physical health, only worsening the tensions they had to deal with.