One of the biggest and worst discoveries I made was that the word "父母" isn't automatically a blessing. I have seen it so many times in people I know, Chinese or others. And a bit in my own family too.
The brother in the story was a loyal man. Loyal and thus truthful. The mother was untruthful, and thus non-loyal and hence capable of betraying her children.
The brother insisted in truthfulness thoroughly, therefore he kept reasoning with the mother who was never truthful and had decided to be so. The brother would only get consumed away as if erosion consumes away the rocks by the salty waves endlessly crashing on them. He died unhappy but true to himself. An honorable man still.
What is the most precious in this world isn't love but loyalty. There are very few truthful men. My other discovery. : )
