Why do Jeanette's parents reject welfare or charity?

Mom and Dad felt that welfare programs were like taking handouts..... and they didn't take handouts.

Although we were the poorest family on Little Hobart Street, Mom and Dad never applied for welfare or food stamps, and they always refused charity. When teachers gave us bags of clothes from church drives, Mom made us take them back. "We can take care of our own," Mom and Dad liked to say. "We don't accept handouts from anyone."