That basic and most essential unit of social organization, the family, has been carefully studied by many authorities, all of whom have agreed that in it lie tremendous forces which determine the behavior of youth. McDougall says, stability of the family is the prime condition of a healthy state of society and of the stability of every community.2 The family is the prime determiner of social behavior. From it comes youth indelibly stamped with high ideals and noble aspirations, or with low, vile, anti-social attitudes toward life. At present the family is undergoing a transition which is a period of adjustment. Ross says that the family is less stable than it has been at any time since the beginning of the Christian Era. Society and the child have to pay the penalty for thlis instability. Divorce has rapidly increased, which is one criterion of social disorder. Out of this situation comes much of our juvenile delinquency. In this discussion we hope to point out a few of the most potent factors jin the home which are determinants of juvenile delinquency. The child has the inherent right to have a home with parents living together harmoniously; a home which has reasonable comforts, enough wholesome food for nourishment and growth, and surrounded by opportunities for the healthy development of the physical body. Loving but not over-indulgent parents have much to do in making a family stable. A child who fails to experience the warmth of love and sympathy or who has his efforts toward self-expressions constantly checked is likely to produce behavior problems. Many cases show that where these legitimate satisfactions are not met in the home the child is prematurely driven to the streets or other outlets are resorted to, such as excessive day dreaming, timidity, temper tantrums, lying, stealing, running away, setting fires and the like.