Clearly, everyone makes choices, which is why you have inspiring rags-to-riches stories and tragic "how did they go so wrong" stories. But a big part of your e

Clearly, everyone makes choices, which is why you have inspiring rags-to-riches stories and tragic "how did they go so wrong" stories. But a big part of your environment is your culture. The Indian immigrants in Jersey City, I suspect, still see themselves as Indian, probably grow up in stable families, and are given discipline, role models, encouragement, and expectations of achievement. Surely that makes a bigger difference than what goes on in one's neighborhood. If you live near gangs, that's one thing. If your dad left and your brother is in a gang and the music all your peers listen to says "the goal of life is to be the baddest gangster," that's quite another.