The Wire makes you think

Something I noticed that was always given a lot of focus in the wire, was how A person regardless of what they or anyone else wanted, will always be a product of their environment. This idea is seen throughout the Wire, but a scene I want to focus on is the beginning of episode 10 when Bubbles tries to get clean. When Bubbles is thinking about getting clean, the first thing he does is to change his environment. He does not try to look for a job, or clean himself up, first he looks for a clean place. It is not till he has found that place, can he even begin his transformation. This Idea ties in greatly with the situation of the kids in the drug zone. There is no way you can expect a kid growing up in an environment like that to come out clean. Like Wallace, even if their heart is in the right place, as long as their body remains in the slums, there their souls will remain.
Another issue that was prevalent in the Wire was the breakdown of the Family unit. Every one you see, with problems, Bubbles, Wallace, De’Angelo, they do not have healthy parent child relationships. Even deeper than that, is the absence of father figures. De’Angelo is a father, but he is barely able to do that. He is in jail, or out dealing drugs, you hardly see him interact with his child. The fact that he dies in the second season only goes to support my point, another father gone. Single mothers are making ends meet in all aspects, but when did raising a child become a one person deal? I think of Wallace, taking care of all those children, and he himself barely a child. I want to help somehow. Even though the Wire depicts a time a little ways in the past, many of the issues it deals with are still prevalent, and are still not commanding the attention they deserve. My question is: has the drug world gotten weaker, or has it just gone deeper?