Fences, a low-diction play by August Wilson, expresses the complex relationship between a father and his children. Troy Maxson, once a baseball star in the Negro Leagues, is now envious of his son Cory who dreams of having a successful football career. Troy also fears that Cory will be treated with the same disrespect that he (Troy) once had during his baseball career. Lyons, Troy's eldest son, is completely misunderstood by Troy, mostly due to his refusal to get a "real" job and his desire to become a musician. Wilson references stories from Troy's past to explain the reason for Troy's frustration and actions towards his children. To begin to understand Troy, we must look at the tumultuous relationship between Troy and his father. Troy's father was most likely born into slavery, or at least conditions similar to slavery. This means that his father probably never had a real family of his own, as his brothers, sisters and parents would not have lived together. Troy's father had little experience in having and maintaining a family atmosphere in their home, and this reflects greatly on Troy. Unfortunately this was often the case with early African American culture as Reconstruction failed to help them become homeless and impoverished. In act one, scene four Troy and Bono begin to talk about their fathers “Sometimes I wish I hadn't known my father. He didn't care about childlessness. A child was nothing to him. All he wanted was for you to learn to walk so he could start working. When it came time to eat... he ate first. If there's anything left, that's what you have. The man would sit down, eat two chickens and give you the wing. He goes on to say that his father only cared about his job, but almost every day he did...half of paper......ol, especially if you're trying to get hired. Troy probably knows this, and it's just another way to keep his son away from football (Wilson 1303). While Troy's actions towards his children are harsh and unfair, it's not all Troy's fault. He grew up in a time when jazz music and African Americans playing on professional sports teams simply didn't exist. He was a product of his times just like his father before him. Parents can only raise their children the best way they know how, and for Troy this was all he had. Like Troy said to Cory "Who the hell says I like you?", parents are not obligated to love their children. Unfortunately, Cory resented his father even after his death. We are all children and we must learn not to resent our parents because of their actions, but to accept them and understand why they are the way they are. (Wilson 1304).