Orange Is the New Black Family

Why does Kerman show us how proud her family is of her accomplishments? So she can contrast this with how disappointed they are in her later when she squanders everything she's worked for.

Many people turn to drugs and gangs because their own family stinks, so they find support in other social circles. Piper is the opposite. At least she has a real family to go back to, unlike many others in her shoes.

Letting down her family is the hardest thing for Piper. If she could serve extra time to avoid having to tell her parents, she probably would.

Sometimes it feels like Piper is the only person in prison with a support group, so it's nice to see that other prisoners have family members who visit them regularly, too.

If Piper felt bad disappointing her own parents, imagine how these women must feel to have disappointed their own children.

You've got to work with what's available to you, and the relationships between the women in prison are sometimes supportive and maternal.

Probably the only thing keeping these women going is the knowledge that someday they'll be out and they'll get to see their kids again.

Sometimes prison is a sad family affair—one prisoner tells Piper that even her mother was in Danbury. We're not sure why Piper cares what the guards think about this, but she does. Do they have a pool or something, betting on which women's children they'll see next?

Piper is panicked, but Larry's parents end up being just as understanding and supportive as her own. They make her feel like a part of their family, even though she's behind bars.

One of the saddest moments for Kerman is when her grandmother dies while she's in prison. Unlike on the show, Kerman isn't able to get furlough. Prison officials don't care too much for their prisoners' family matters.