A lot of people are speculating about how these people felt or what their situation was

You're right. It's speculation. As you said to SusanM earlier, we all filter our reponses through our own personal experiences and views. That's what makes the discussions on this board FUN.

If we took everything at face value, then all the letters would be answered with one sentence. "We don't have enough information to know the whole story." How enjoyable would this place be then?