The extended family plays an integral role in the culture and everyday life of favela neighborhoods, providing self esteem, stabilizing life trajectories and offering invaluable financial and psychological support.

Historically, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, and grandparents have dearly and loyally cared for their kin, and this support is invariably reciprocated - For this reason, the concept of the 'extended family' is fundamental to favela life and culture.

since favelas first started to form, the traditionally Male bread-winners of the household, often tended to be absent from the home for long stretches of time, because of limited transport infrastructure that would not allow for a frequent commute - this necessary prolonged absence is one of the factors that led to a context in which a significant number of favela residents were raised with an absent father.