the folly of youth

They have the arrogant, proud ignorance that can be found in those who have never had to struggle to survive and have reached an age to begin to think, and are so enamored of those incipient thoughts that they tear off in high spirits and overindulge. I imagine they have been overindulged by the type of parents who are forever thinking well of their offspring (and patting themselves on the back for having produced such progeny) in spite of inconvenient facts.