In the film Frozen River, Ray's misfortunes affect the well-being of his two children. The trailer Ray's family lives in has poor insulation, causing them to suffer during the harsh winter. One night, while Ray is out on his smuggling trips, his son realizes that the pipes in the trailer are frozen. Frustrated by the situation, he does everything he can to unblock the pipes under the house. Without Ray's consent, he uses a blowtorch to unblock the trailer's pipes. The depiction of this scene is crucial to understanding the level of poverty that Ray's family is deeply rooted in and why Ray is in desperate need of a new trailer. This scene allows viewers to empathize and justify Ray's actions in dealing with the dangerous endeavor of being human