Well, in essence this tale defines what affection produces in us. It makes children and adults who have had it respond in a like manner. The principle is “what you give to your child, you will reap in return”.
However, it is even more serious than you may think. Apparently, according to scientists, without affection given to newborns and babies their brains don’t seem to develop properly.[1] Such was the case with thousands of Romanian children that ended up in orphanages during the time of Nicolae Ceauşesc’s dictatorship. Ceauşesc wanted to double the population of Romania, forcing parents to have children they couldn’t support which resulted in babies being left in orphanages. There were so many babies that their carers had no time to hold the babies and give to them the affection that a baby requires. Thus, the babies were left in their cots without any ‘warm fuzzies’, starved not for food but affection.
[1] Alienation of affection by James W. Prescott PhD http://www.violence.de/prescott/pt/article.html