For Jurgis, the struggle began when his wife, Ona, died in childbirth. He took his step-sister-in-law Kotrina’s wages and went to the bar, where he spent every last penny. Alcohol affects Ona’s life when she and Jurgis host their wedding at the bar. Because prices like that add up, and the family payed for all of the guest’s food and drinks, the overall cost of the wedding goes up, causing trouble for a family already in debt. Marija becomes affected by alcohol when she goes into prostitution in order to provide for herself and the family. She not only drinks, but she also does drugs such as dope, and the costs of such things, which are provided by the owner of the business, keeps her in enough debt that she cannot ever leave this lifestyle. Out of all of the problems that alcohol causes the family in the story, the biggest issue is