The VIBE.com Recap connects the fable to a 1993 study by Professors June O'Neil and M. Anne Hill regarding the long-term effects of fatherless households on incarceration and authority. Characters as Metaphors:
A paper by Psychology Forward discusses the "80-20 split" of biological vs. environmental determinants in human behavior, debating whether "nature" is truly unchangeable. [S2E10] The Scorpion and the Frog
The Soprano Onceover analyzes Tony's rare moment of honesty, where he admits he is a "vicious person" who cannot resist hurting others even when it is self-destructive. The VIBE