Once in a cab in nyc he asked the drive if the building they passed by was the empire state building and the driver went on about it and other things ny. Even though steig grew up in the bronx and lived there a good of his life. His wife exlained that he figured the driver would be pleased to have something to say. Parents were socialists – didn’t want kids to be laborers or buisnessmen because one would always exploit the other. Couldn’t afford to study skills everyone became artists. Dad a house painter, mom a seamtress, both painted on sundays and exhibited later in life. Were poor– dad supported the family on 5 or 6 dollars a week