I felt the same about Charlie's home life. There are also a few other books read as a young child which stuck with me and helped shape my world view, including 'An Inch of Candle' which I remember most vividly for alerting me to the existence of conscientious objectors, and 'The Diddakoi' (do you remember 'Kizzy' on the tv?). I could go on, but perhaps I should save it for an essay of my own!