The alternative is making a = t.attr = 5 different from t.attr = 5 a = 5 which is most often what someone means when they write a chained assignment.

The alternative is making a = t.attr = 5 different from t.attr = 5 a = 5 which is most often what someone means when they write a chained assignment. It's all part of the "principle of least surprise" that Rubyists used to tout so much — but unfortunately, different people find different things surprising.